To Be The Very Best
by Captain Buggles
Summary: After the Sinnoh League, Gary decides that Ash needs to take training much more seriously. And what better way than to secretly go to Unova with him as an alter ego named Ted Betters to be his motivating rival? ...Unnecessary and kinda dumb, yeah, but it definitely got Ash thinking. Unova journey done my way. No Iris or Cilan. Eventual deconstruction of Smart/Better Ash type fics.
1. Chapter 1

**To Be The Very Best**

**Ch 1: I'm Not Actually Gonna Name These Oh My Fucking God That Seems Way Too Hard**

**Special Note: From now on, I highly recommend that you think reviews out and give me something that's not so vague and simple that it hardly has any productive impact at all. I may sound like a snob here, but it'd honestly be highly appreciated if you put forth a respectable amount of time and effort when you review. Perhaps a minimum of a few lines or a short paragraph in length? Otherwise, the vague brevity really isn't helping me out, and it may cause me to get annoyed, misunderstand your intentions, or not take you very seriously. It's nothing personal, I simply request that you try to do this. If you are reading this, thank you very much. I hope you will co-operate.**

**I promise in advance that I will cut to the chase in all subsequent chapters, but for now I'm about to talk a lot/rant, so if you don't wanna see it SCROLL PAST all the bold.**

**So, you know how my profile says I don't like the Pokémon anime? No? Okay.**  
**So, since you don't, I'm telling you now, I don't. At least not anymore.**  
**But I'm writing this because I notice the popularity of a certain specific type of fanfic: The Smart Ash/Redone Ash fanfic. Despite my current dislike, I liked the anime long enough to watch almost all of it all the way up through half of the DPP generation, and then little bits and pieces of the rest of DPP.**

**That was more than enough time to see that anime Ash is often a repetitive, tiresome, stereotypically caring and well meaning idiot who time and time again forgoes true progress and development just to reset and pander to a younger audience that the writers focus on. This in itself is not much of a problem, or at least shouldn't be. I can acknowledge that I am maturing and growing older, and my age group is no longer the rightful focus of the show. **

**What IS the problem in my opinion is that the writers handle it poorly, and they often seem to be under the erroneous and bothersome assumption that it is also an incredibly stupid and simple-minded audience that is completely incapable of inferring information or using outside people/resources to supplement understanding. Therefore, the entire anime comes across as very stupid at times, and the quality and complexity suffers more than a kids show should actually have to.**

**And the Smart Ash concept is a wonderful way to get away from that and give Ash a chance to truly shine.**

**But surprise, surprise. I don't actually like Ash. I hardly actually like anyone in the anime. I don't truly want his redemption in my fic. Truthfully, I'd prefer him gone. I'm not going to do that in this fic, but I will definitely make things difficult for him. So if you're looking for a straight up Smart Ash fic, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Instead, this will be a deconstruction. What are the true costs of talent and devotion? What are the effects of misplaced ambition and good intentions gone bad? That will be explored, but rest assured, I'll do my best to make it funnier and more entertaining than it sounds. Hopefully, your reviews and commentary will help me do so.**

**So yeah, I'm sorry for the long ass author note. You can read the fic now, if I haven't already bored or offended you.**

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It was a slow, frustrating day of research for Gary Oak. He was having an unusual amount of trouble focusing, and he had been irritable and rather spiteful all day. He was going over Pokémon statistics for the umpteenth time, and he was appalled at how dull and unappealing they were. Lately, Rowan had him doing a lot of boring work like this. He still got to be out in the field sometimes, but it was basically a tease. Every time he got to truly interact with Pokémon and nature, he wanted it more, yet it only seemed to become shorter and more infrequent. He chastised himself for it often, and he knew full well that he should be more focused and determined in every aspect to be a good researcher, but there were quite a few things slowing him down.

First off, Gary was getting older. Being ten or eleven forever was bullshit, as appealing as it seemed sometimes. And with getting older, there was indeed a lot of getting wiser. But still, he was only at a tender age of sixteen, and it conflicted terribly with the development and mental changes he was going through sometimes. To be as frank as possible, he was getting pretty damn horny. He was starting to sneak away from genuine computer work to set up proxies and history wipes so he could satisfy a new, naughty, hormonal side of him. But with no one to guide him through such difficulties, he felt deeply ashamed of it. Quite honestly, he was having more and more thoughts of chasing skirts. He felt trapped, yet he hated himself for feeling trapped.

His increasing sex drive, and puberty in general, brought an increase in vanity, an increase in restlessness, and an increase in the need to be validated and accepted among peers. (and attractive girls) He was becoming more self-conscious, and sitting on his ass so much was definitely beginning to concern him. He remembered hoping to have abs and definition by sixteen, but that just wasn't happening with how much he sat around, and how field work hardly meant getting a proper amount of exercise. Just his luck (which had actually been very good until the miserable and awkward puberty years set in), Gary had developed into an emotional eater, and sedentary, unfocused lab work was a terrible platform for eating right.

Gary still had charm and a nice face, but his clothes were getting tighter, and he always ended up with plenty of candy and junk food around his work area. He actually ended up excluding himself from a beach vacation plan, because he'd gotten rather flabby. Around the lab, it was rather manageable, since he wore dark clothing and sucked in, so no one actually called him out on it. His appetite issues just meant he was a growing boy. But to Gary himself, it was a horrible mixture of disgust and being angry at himself for being so vain and disgusted rather than focused on being truly productive.

But still, the problems persisted. Feeling like a fat, lazy, unmotivated failure, he hardly felt like working anymore. So instead, his thoughts started wandering. Eventually, they settled on Ash Ketchum. How the hell was he? Surely he had to be having the time of his life, journeying around with Pokémon and friends...hell, at least one of the girls he had met or traveled with had to have a crush on him. Man, Ash could even have a girlfriend already! That thought in particular struck Gary square in his soft gut. Here Ash was, the best damn opportunity in his life, always with a cute girl and a trustworthy friend by his side! He was doing loads better! He had to be! Sure, the realization made Gary beyond jealous, but at the same time, it gave him a long overdue epiphany. It was deceptively simple. All of that restlessness, boredom, moodiness, and lack of focus could all be explained with one sentence: He wanted to be a Trainer again.

But still, the thought made him cringe. He couldn't just walk out on research! He couldn't just ignore his grandfather's footsteps! But still, there was a voice inside of him that begged to differ, the childish, fed-up, and rebellious voice that he had grown to hate. "_I'm Gary Motherfucking Oak, and I can do whatever the hell I want!_" In order to resist temptation and abstain from further troubling thoughts, he stuffed a king-size chocolate bar into his mouth, savoring the delicious, distracting flavor. But of course, that voice just had to have the last word. "_Yeah, might as well grow your beer gut now, at this rate you'll become an alcoholic for sure._" it teased coldly. In response, Gary bit down on the chocolate bar harder and more sloppily than he needed to, and bit his tongue in the process. After a string of swears, Gary bitterly began to look Ash up on the internet. He felt a little like a stalker, but you could look up statistical battle information and battle videos on any official Trainer who had at least participated in one major League. It wasn't like they told you much of anything else about the person.

What he found gave him a disturbing and confusing mix of disappointment, happiness, and disapproval. It had been six damn years, and Ash was still disappointingly average. He was good, but not great. Even with so much of his own edge lost, Gary could point of loads of issues and mistakes in Ash's battle footage, even in the very recent Sinnoh tournaments. His elapsed journeying times and Pokémon caught weren't even very impressive! As much as he didn't want to be, Gary found himself getting angrier and angrier over it, and less rational. How dare he! How dare he waste such golden opportunities! How could he still be so frustratingly simple-minded and nonchalant? Why did he keep leaving behind and releasing perfectly good Pokémon who had never realized their full potential?! What the hell was he even going to do once he wasn't a Trainer anymore?!

Gary calmed down a bit and took a few deep breaths. Once again, he felt awful. He just got incredibly angry over a close friend's shortcomings, all because he was selfishly projecting himself onto Ash and his Pokémon. He decided right then and there that this wasn't going to get anyone anywhere. He needed to have a genuine, civil, face to face talk with Ash. He needed to know exactly where he was at and what he was thinking. And with the Sinnoh tournaments just ending, he was happy to say he knew exactly where to look. A quick call to Ash's house confirmed it. Ash was at home, resting up before his next journey to Unova. Gary cringed when he heard that Ash was planning to leave all of his Pokémon behind once again, but that only strengthened his resolve.

"Come on, Umbreon." Gary said, as he released the black canine from its ball. "We're going to pay our old friend Ash a visit." Umbreon gave a yip of eager agreement, and as Gary turned off the computer and stood from his chair, he even felt a slight rush of excitement...Although it was mostly just the blood rush and dizziness from standing up too quickly.

Professor Rowan was disappointed but understanding as Gary struggled to explain why it was he would be putting his research on hiatus, and why he was going to see Ash. He was also kind enough to very politely point out the traces of chocolate and crumbs still on Gary's face from the nervous snacking that Gary had done beforehand to work up the courage to confront Professor Rowan. (Gary was also painfully aware that in his heyday, he wouldn't have been afraid to talk to Rowan at all.) And he was kind enough to refrain from mentioning that Gary's habit of sucking in and wearing dark clothes hadn't been good enough to hide his weight gain since two months ago. Really, he had remained silently knowledgeable of all of Gary's troubling habits lately...even some particularly embarrassing ones that weren't hidden as well as Gary thought they were. Really, he was just impressed it hadn't started happening sooner. He felt it wasn't his place to force things onto him or interfere, and instead Gary had to find his own path.

After packing his things, Gary used a Pidgeot to fly to Kanto. Specifically, Pallet Town. Things went smoothly, but the ride really could've went without Pidgeot jokingly struggling and faltering on purpose from time to time as a reaction to Gary letting himself go. It made it hard to judge the couple of occasions where Pidgeot genuinely did need to rest, and it was pretty mean. "_Umbreon likes it._" Gary thought bitterly, looking back on how Umbreon enjoyed his stomach as a pillow and a place for kneading paws... But maybe that was just a way of patronizing him... Damn, what was up with him letting the most harmless thoughts upset him so much?

Luckily, when he arrived at Ash's house, Ash was home, and quite happy to see him. "Hey Gary! Didn't expect to see you here! You uh, look like you've been eating well..." Ash said with a grin. Pikachu outright laughed at him.

Gary ignored the comment and the laughter, since Ash was probably just so much of an idiot that he genuinely thought you could make a comment about someone's weight seem polite. "Yeah, hey Ash... Listen, I'm not here for small talk. I've really got something to talk about with you." Gary said bluntly, as he sat down on a couch. If you weren't blunt, Ash was definitely going to miss it.

"Oh...Well, what is it?" Ash asked. For a moment there, Gary swore he saw a knowing glint of worry in Ash's eyes, but once Gary was temporarily distracted by Mr. Mime providing them with glasses of juice, it was gone.

"I've done a lot of thinking lately...It's been hard, scary thinking, and I've come to a conclusion. I'm just not happy with where I am in life. Researching just isn't all it's cracked up to be, for now...I know it doesn't really have anything to do with you, but it got me thinking...Not to pry or judge or anything, but I think you need to start trying harder, Ash." Gary explained.

"Jeez, Gary, you come see me after so long and you bring up something like this?" Ash said, laughing nervously. "I'm doing fine. I don't know what it is you're so worried about."

"Ash, you could be doing better. So much better. It's really good enough to just kind of idiotically coast through regions making half baked bonds with Pokémon you can hardly actually keep up with? No? I didn't think so." Gary hadn't meant to get aggressive and insulting about his ideas so quickly, but now that he was there he couldn't just stop. If Ash started firing off defensive counter arguments, he'd get too hard-headed to listen at all. "Yeah, that was rude, I'm sorry, but seriously. Don't even get started on calling me a hypocrite, or calling me out, because that's exactly why I'm saying this to you. I'm just now realizing that I've messed up. I'm all out of shape now, and I'm missing out on the real passions in my life. So as your former rival, and current friend, I don't want you to mess up, Ash! I know you wanna win! I know you wanna be the best, and from what I've seen, I'm going to have to accuse you of dragging your ass."

Ash looked crestfallen for a moment, and fidgeted awkwardly with his hands. Pikachu had a 'why would you say something like that?!' sort of look, and for just a moment, Gary considered that he might just have been deluded by suppressed bitterness all along. But once again, that little smart-mouthed inner voice began to speak "_No, that's right, that slacker got what he had coming! That goofy ashamed look on his face alone is proof that I'm right!_".

"I... I guess you're right. It's been bugging me lately, s-so I'm not gonna ignore it anymore... I've really lost my edge...I've made a lot of mistakes, and sometimes I feel like I've never really learned anything... I mean, I love my Pokémon, hell, I love all Pokémon, but lately that's just making it worse... It really makes me feel like I'm letting them down." Ash said, as he looked down at the floor and sighed deeply. Pikachu reassured him a bit, looking very concerned.

"Oh...Well, that's good! I didn't mean to verbally assault you like that, but it's good that you recognize you need improvement. I'll bet that-" Ash suddenly cut Gary off.

"I'm going to Unova ASAP, and I'm gonna be the absolute best in that region! I swear, I won't let anyone down anymore!" Huh. A childish outburst, big, overly determined eyes, a cocky and boastful statement right off the bat even though he hadn't actually done any improving yet... Maybe it was Gary's increased pessimism as of late, but he had the strong feeling that if Ash was really going to learn anything, he definitely wasn't going to if he was left to his own devices. And Gary hadn't actually told him that he wanted to go back to being a Trainer. He was still a little ashamed of it, the idea of a fatty like him trying to take the region by storm again...but once again, his bratty inner voice offered a surprising tidbit of advice.

"_Looks like someone's gotta learn the hard way!_" No no no, as Ash's friend, you need to be trusting of his decisions and his resolve and- "_Shut up! If I can't be Gary Motherfucking Oak anymore, I'll just be a Trainer called Someone Motherfucking Else! I'll be a million times better than Gary ever was, and I'll teach ol' creampuff Ashy-Boy to toughen the fuck up while I'm at it! I'm a genius!_" Gary had to admit, despite how forceful and egotistical that voice was, and how much he wanted it gone, it's idea was just crazy enough to work... Plus, becoming a Trainer really would be the best way to appease it.

"Well, I'm still gonna leave my Pokémon behind, but I promise Gary, I'll do it right this time! I'll make a team so awesome you'll hardly be able to believe it! No, not even a team! We'll be a family!" Ash boasted egotistically and naïvely. Sure he understood the spirit, but Gary was now even less sure he was really going to be more than just talk without him.

As Gary said his goodbyes and wished Ash luck, he immediately began formulating his plan. He was going to go to Unova too...But not as Gary Oak. He was going to be someone else, Ash's perfect rival...Infuriating, condescending, always around... Enough to get some fiery motivation going. But at the same time, providing compliments when deserved, a constructive person who was truly knowledgeable and skillful. And not some stupid ass-pull of a newbie trainer with a Snivy. Gary wasn't sure why, but he imagined that condescending people in Unova would always choose Snivy as a starter. Hell, they'd probably be a stupid little photographer wannabe too, taking the most pretentious fucking photos and reflecting deeply on them like the douchebag they really are. Gary may have been out of shape and rusty on being a Trainer, but he had no shortage of Pokémon knowledge with all of his research and past experiences. And he still had enough of an ego to assume that it'd be manageable to at least train his way back to former skill level and beyond, even if working on getting girls and his dream teenage body might take some more time.

After some brainstorming, Gary decided on a name that would be a good blend of ego, intelligence, and charming humor, which is what he wanted the new persona to convey. Theodore Betters. Theodore sounded smart and proper, Betters was obvious and it had the humorous irony of sounding like some egotistical bad guy name. And when he shortened Theodore to Ted, it became Ted Betters. Which sounded kind of like either "teh better" or "bed wetter". Ah yes, two opposite punny poles of genius. This was one of the most shit eating names ever, and Gary was giddily pleased with that.

He got a rather unassuming Lotad from his collection of Pokémon, giggling to himself. Ash would probably be enough of a dummy at first to assume that Lotad is weak to electric moves, even though it's part grass typing cancels it out. And Lotad wasn't exactly an overwhelming Pokémon, but he had tricks up his lily pad. Ash Ketchum was going to grow up, whether he liked it or not!

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**Special Note (same as the top): From now on, I highly recommend that you think reviews out and give me something that's not so vague and simple that it hardly has any productive impact at all. I may sound like a snob here, but it'd honestly be highly appreciated if you put forth a respectable amount of time and effort when you review, perhaps a minimum of a few lines or a short paragraph in length? Otherwise, the vague brevity really isn't helping me out, and it may cause me to get annoyed, misunderstand your intentions, or not take you very seriously. It's nothing personal, I simply request that you try to do this. If you are reading this, thank you very much. I hope you will co-operate.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: No Seriously I'm Not Naming These**

**The next couple of chapters might be awkward until I hit my stride. I don't care much about Unova in the anime, all I know is that Zekrom does some contrived bullshit and saps Pikachu's electricity, which I am going to do away with because, once again, seems like contrived bullshit...but I'll do my best.**

**And Ash isn't going to stop and help people constantly because that just seems like dumb filler bullshit that I don't wanna fuck with.**

**...If you actually like the anime or any of the characters I have been heckling, I apologize and I recommend leaving now because I will most likely deeply disappoint you.**

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What happened to Ash next was largely unimportant. I mean, come on, he's just Ash. So rather than have him prattle on pointlessly with his mom and Professor Oak, and ride the boat in pointless excitement, he's already done all of that. He's in Unova now. Team Rocket didn't follow him. They got their asses fired. No funding. No secret, dumbass plans to keep going after him and his Pikachu. They are done for, insignificant and totally average and forgettable in the endless soup of faceless nobodies in the world. So let's just go on to see what our protagonist is doing.

"Woah, so that's Nuvema Town down there..." Ash said to himself, as he and Pikachu looked at it from afar. It'd still be another ten minutes of walking, but what he could already see looked like a quaint, cheerful, comforting sight. It was rather nostalgic, reminding him of Pallet Town in some respects. The trip to the town in itself had been very pleasant yet exciting as well, he'd already seen quite a few new Pokémon. But taking what Gary had said into consideration, he didn't just gawk stupidly at them. Instead, he had already studied many of them at home and on the boat to Unova. Both his mother and Professor Oak expressed surprise at that decision, and playfully teased him a bit. Even though he laughed it off, he felt a little offended and ashamed of it deep down... Was it really that strange for him to be doing something even somewhat intelligent and forward-thinking? He steadily finished his walk into the town, trying to chase away suspicions that people may have been laughing at him or looking down on him this whole time... Jeez, Gary's new attitude must be contagious. If he wasn't careful, he was gonna get all fat and awkward too. He already tended to gain weight whenever he stopped at festivals and tournaments. He jokingly said that out loud to Pikachu, and the laughter they shared over it eased his insecurities as he continued his walk to Nuvema Town.

The years hadn't left Ash entirely untouched. He had gotten significantly taller, perhaps 5'10 now, noticeably a little taller than Gary, which pleased him...although he definitely wasn't wider than him. You simply couldn't ignore Gary's girth. His healthy appetite combined with puberty and journeying meant he wasn't fat or thin, so instead he had a solid, strong, wide-shouldered, average-yet-stocky build. He wasn't anywhere near as much of an idiot as he was in his earlier days, but he had always assumed that it was just his lot in life to let everyone believe that he was and laugh along with them...Sure, he wasn't good at stereotypically "smart" things, and he was somewhat excitable and unfocused sometimes, but he was getting really tired of how his idiocy always seemed to be a silent general consensus among everyone else. Before, he was optimistic and innocent enough to write it off as paranoia, but with Gary's visit and the general increase in awareness that came with travelling and growing older, Ash really did feel that some changes were in order.

The first site in Nuvema that caught his eye was the Pokémon Lab. It has a nostalgic feel, reminding him of Professor Oak, yet it was also quite clean and modern looking. He knocked on the door, hoping that there would be some Pokémon he could take a look at in person. Professor Juniper, a reasonably attractive and kind looking woman, answered it.

"Oh, hello there! I've never seen you around. Is there a problem?" Juniper asked.

"No ma'am, I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town in Kanto and I just wanted to see what your lab is like. I've never been to this region before, so I thought you could show me a few things... If you weren't too busy or anything, sorry..." Ash was starting to feel stupid already, the Professor could've been in the middle of some kind of breakthrough and here he was just tactlessly knocking on the door. But to his surprise, her face lit up.

"Oh wow, Pallet Town! You must know Professor Oak! He's a friend of mine, he's always been there to help me out with my research. Come in, don't be shy... I know Professors may strike you as the type that are always busy, but really I've got time to spare! This is the season when new trainers are coming and going a lot, so I definitely have to stick around for that."

"Oh, then I came at a great time! That's a relief, I hadn't thought of how I might be bothering you until I had already knocked." Ash said, feeling somewhat better about himself. "The starters of this region are Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott, right? If you don't mind, could I see them in person please?" Ash asked.

"Well, of course! Follow me!" Juniper said, leading Ash into the back of the lab. All three starters were already out playing with a boy that had dirty blond hair and an orange jacket.

"Oh, so this is how they look in real life! Hi you guys!" Ash said cheerfully, putting his hand out towards them. Tepig looked a little frightened, but Oshawott moved in and began affectionately rubbing against the hand, squealing in delight when Ash began to pet it. Snivy looked at him with a curious, contemplative expression and began to walk towards him, but then the boy with the orange jacket picked him up.

"I've decided, Professor! I choose this Snivy!" the boy said, as he pulled out a camera and took a photo of Snivy. He then looked over at Ash, and cocked his head slightly. "Who are you?"

"Ash Ketchum. I just came here to look, since I'm from Pallet Town and I-" Trip interrupted him, to Ash's mild annoyance. Somehow, this kid was already bugging him a little, but Ash was sure it was just a fluke that they would smooth over. After all, things started out really rough with Gary, and Misty to a lesser extent.

"Really? Pallet Town? You came from that lame countryside just to look at our Pokémon? Ha! I bet all the Pokémon there are plain as dirt, so no wonder." Trip said mockingly. Ash gritted his teeth, and Pikachu's cheeks sparked.

"You take that back! Pokémon are all wonderful, no matter where they come from! There is nothing lame about Pallet Town!" Ash snarled. Trip actually looked slightly intimidated for a moment, but he quickly bounced back.

"If you're so great, then I want a battle!...But first, my name is Trip, and..." Trip got out his camera and took pictures of Pikachu, and then scanned Pikachu with his Pokedex. "Pikachu is rare around here, and a decent choice on your part, I begrudgingly admit. But hey, I'm not one bit scared of anything from Kanto!" Thinking back to Mewtwo, Mew, and the Legendary Birds, Ash just chuckled. Obviously, this kid didn't actually know jack shit about Kanto.

"Okay, so let's battle!...If that's okay, Professor?" Ash asked, turning around to look at Professor Juniper. She gave an exasperated sigh, but then smiled.

"Okay, okay, if you insist on being so feisty!" Juniper said, as she let them outdoors. Tepig simply looked off in their direction, while Oshawott trailed behind them. Sure, Snivy was his friend, but hopefully he wouldn't hate him for wanting this Ash human to win. They all had the feeling that Ash was a lot more than he seemed anyways, especially in comparison to Trip. It was just one of those innate Pokémon things. If a human had experience or knew what they were doing, somehow you could just tell.

Ash and Trip got a decent distance away from each other, while Juniper stood off on a figurative sideline.

"Snivy, start this off with a speedy Tackle!" Trip called out, and Snivy immediately complied. Ash had to admit it was fast, but it wasn't remarkable.

"Pikachu, dodge." Ash said calmly and almost immediately. This was his first chance to not be an excitable idiot in this region, and on top of that it was going to be against someone who genuinely thought little of him. He was going to make this good. Pikachu complied, easily sliding past Snivy. "Now, Agility. Show them OUR speed!" Ash commanded. He could easily slam that little reptile in the back with an Iron Tail right now, but he wanted to really show Trip what he was up against. And it wasn't Snivy he was mad at, it was Trip.

Pikachu was very good about it, immediately becoming so fast it flitted from place to place with nothing but blurs and after-images. "What the- Snivy! Slow it down with Vine Whip!" Trip called out. Snivy extended its vines and tensed them, intending to trip Pikachu and then grab it. Pikachu did indeed trip, but Ash wasn't about to let this happen so easily.

"Bite the vines!" he called out, his voice firm rather than simply overexcited. Pikachu immediately did so, causing Snivy to cry out in pain and attempt to retract its vines. But Ash quickly added on additional commands. "Grab 'em and sling Snivy against a tree!" Pikachu, still under Agility's effects, immediately caught up to the already slightly retracted vines and grabbed hold, then twirled Snivy a couple of times and flung him against a nearby tree with impressive force. "Good! Quick Attack!" With Pikachu's already incredible speed, the attack seemed to connect in an instant, leaving Pikachu unharmed and Snivy wobbly and weak looking. It steadily stepped forward, looking angry. It's body glowed with a harsh, erratic green aura, and it's tail became bigger and sharper looking, bathed in solid light green energy. Both boys knew what that meant. Overgrow was active.

"This should be good." Ash said with a smirk.

"Snivy, Vine Whip! Speed focus!" Trip ordered. Snivy immediately shot out four vines rather than the normal two. They whizzed towards Pikachu, glowing a solid pale green and seeming to cut effortlessly through the air. But just when they had nearly closed in on Pikachu, action was already being taken.

"Jump! Then Iron Tail!" Ash said almost simultaneously. Pikachu managed to dodge them at the last moment, still worlds faster than Snivy. He brought down his Iron Tail right on top of them, causing Snivy to cry out in pain.

"Leaf Tornado!" Trip cried out, his voice cracking with desperation. Snivy gave a furious screech and sent out a massive swirling vortex of glowing leaves. It moved swiftly, creating a strong breeze in the surrounding area, and the sound of the leaves churning in the vortex was surprisingly loud, but Ash was undaunted.

"Nice try." Ash said simply. "Dodge!" Pikachu easily did so. "Quick Iron Tail!" Ash commanded. The force of Pikachu's tail delivered with the blistering speed of a Quick Attack sent Snivy flying backwards a good several meters, and he was unconscious before he even hit the ground.

"No way! No way! NO WAY!" Trip screeched, scowling as he returned Snivy. "I thought I had you! You're nothing but some hillbilly kid, and Grass resists electricity!" Trip cried.

"Yeah, so Pikachu didn't even use any electricity." Ash stated. Trip blanched. "Please, kindly refrain from insulting me or my Pokémon ever again. In fact, don't insult anyone unless they have actually done something serious enough to deserve it. I can tell that Snivy is gonna be great, it doesn't need some smug tough guy who think's he's hot shit just because he's been studying. Just take it easy and work together on your weaknesses, it'll be fine." Ash told Trip sternly. At that moment, Snivy slowly struggled to it's feet, not having been returned yet because of how Trip rushed into the battle without fully confirming it was really his new Snivy and getting his Pokéball. He steadily walked over to Ash and Pikachu, smiling up at them. "Woah, don't push yourself little guy...What is it?" Ash asked gently.

Snivy began to weakly grasp at Ash's pants, making happy little noises at it did so. "You...you want to come with me?" Ash asked, somewhat confused. Snivy nodded slowly. "Trip needs someone strong like you to set his career off right. You're a starter, your most important job is to go where you're needed. Trip needs you more than I do." Ash said. Snivy shook his head and nuzzled Ash even more. "I wasn't serious about you not needing him...well, kinda, but my point was that you need to work together and overcome those issues! He's just learning, don't be so hard on him. I did a lot of dumb stuff too when I was first starting out..." Snivy seemed to be taking Ash's small speech to heart, and it began walking back to Trip...until Trip's bruised ego kicked in.

"Whatever! Go with him! If you're already trying to betray me, who knows what you'll pull on me in the future!" Due to his dramatic, overly sad tone and how he seemed to be specifically going for sadness rather than anger, it was quite obviously a rather thinly veiled attempt at reverse psychology. Even though Snivy was clever enough to realize that, he was not at all impressed with such a lowbrow tactic. He turned his head away from Trip with a small "hmph" and continued to stand by Ash.

"Well, sorry Trip, but Snivy seems really convinced..." Ash said with a sigh.

"Professor!" Trip said, turning to Professor Juniper with a pout in his voice. "I said Snivy was mine already! I already battled with him!"

"Well, yes, but he was never officially registered to you...So, Snivy can do what he likes.."

"Uuuughhh!" Trip cried, stomping his foot and immediately whipping out his camera to take a picture of Ash, Pikachu, and Snivy. "I won't ever forget any of you! You'll see! I'll get so strong that every Pokémon will wanna be trained by me! I'll beat you so bad you'll go running back to the boonies, Ash!"

"Well, who knows." Ash said nonchalantly. He could easily understand why the kid would be angry right now, no need to exacerbate things. "From what I saw in that battle, you actually are really good for a beginner. Even though the battle was one on one, it wasn't even very fair. I should've held back more, since Pikachu and I are more experi-"

"Don't patronize me! I should be able to beat any stupid yellow rat, Pikachu aren't even that strong! I was just impressed because I haven't seen one in real life!" Trip spat out bitterly, simply unable to take the loss gracefully. Tepig had decided to investigate the commotion a while ago, and now the little fiery pig decided to take pity on Trip and run to his side.

At this point, Ash was just about out of patience. He had definitely approached this kindly and maturely for the most part, he was even trying to compliment the damn kid and make it clear that it wasn't his intention to be taking his intended starter from him, but he just kept acting like a butthurt brat who took pretentious photographs. "Pikachu is NOT 'any stupid yellow rat'." Ash spat venomously, taking a few long strides towards Trip and towering over him. "I don't know what the hell your problem is, Trip, but you need to get over it RIGHT NOW." Ash snarled, giving Trip a glare that could turn you to stone. Insult his best friend in the whole world, and you have royally screwed up.

"I-I'll be g-going now..." Trip mumbled, as he shuffled over to Professor Juniper in an embarrassed fashion and received Tepig's Pokéball without a word. His head hung low and his arms flopped listlessly at his sides, but even Juniper was looking at him with heavy disappointment, entirely blaming all the events on Trip. Once Trip had shuffled a decent distance away from them, Professor Juniper began to speak.

"He's sure got a lot to learn, huh?" she said with concern.

"Yeah...Where does he even get ideas like that? That's not going to do him any good..." Ash said.

"Well, don't concern yourself too much with him. You were magnificent! My, my, where did you learn to battle so excellently? You'll plow right through the Unova League with that kind of execution!" Juniper gushed.

Ash blushed and scratched the back of his head before answering. "Well, I'm not that amazing...I mean, I have been through the Leagues of four other regions, but I never finish all that strong, and I'm not the greatest guy around. I'm here to reinvent myself, I guess. Take things more seriously. Think myself over. Build up a really great team, really do my best this time, and maybe I can really win it all..." Ash said hopefully.

"That's really noble of you..." Juniper said with a smile. "You remind me of Black...maybe you'll meet him some day. An all out battle between you two, six on six... I simply couldn't imagine."

"Who's that?" Ash asked.

"Well, he was a Trainer who left quite some time ago, but I still remember him as clear as day. You give off the same kind of feel. It's just...that feeling you get when you know someone's really gonna make a difference! You can't really explain it, kind of like how you can't strictly explain what love or a specific color is, but you can definitely feel it. He was an absolutely splendid Trainer, even before he left. He definitely didn't get the best grades in Trainer classes, but once he actually battled, he blew my mind."

"He sounds great!" Ash said with a wide, eager smile. "Well, I'd better get going now...Oh! Can you heal Snivy first?" Ash asked. He was still clinging tenaciously to Ash's leg, even though now it looked like the only thing that would keep him from collapsing.

"Oh heavens, of course!" Juniper said, scooping Snivy up and hurriedly hustling him inside to the healing machines, with Ash quickly following.

Meanwhile, Oshawott was still outside, sitting beside a tree. On one hand, Tepig went with that weird flash-box-human. On the other hand, he had just witnessed what was probably the AWESOMEST FIGHT EVER. And if was the last thing Oshawott did, he was gonna find a way to convince the Ash-human to make him as awesome as that yellow mouse guy...who was apparently called Pikachu.

Oshawott waited patiently for Ash to come out back outside. He wasn't going to jump right out and throw himself at him, he didn't wanna seem like a total sellout... Plus, he was kinda scared. After being shown proof of Ash's skill, the vague respect he felt for him had grown into a stifling and almost subjugating sort of respect-crush. It was a normal, short-lived thing to feel when you were first caught, since it helped you bond to your Trainer, but he hadn't even been caught yet! But if he just followed him for a little while, he could surely work up the courage to present himself, and then prove his strength and loyalty.

As Ash cheerfully walked out with Pikachu on one shoulder and Snivy on the other (Ash was very glad puberty gave him strong shoulders, since he immediately noticed that Snivy was a little bit heavier than Pikachu), Oshawott leapt into action.

Operation Spy Otter is a-go! Walking quietly well behind the three, Oshawott was surprised that only he happened to turn around and see a human with bright blonde hair and a black baseball cap entering Juniper's lab...On top of that, he seemed kinda... wider than most humans. And thicker. Not taller, just wider and thicker. Maybe he was a different type of human, or an evolution of a human? There was also a little blue guy with six stumpy legs, a short yellow bill, and a big leafy hat, even bigger than his actual body, closely following him. Oshawott wanted to run over and say hi to the little blue guy, since he faintly smelled like a Water type too, and he could always sniff for Ash-human's trail later, but he was a little too shy... So he just kept quietly following Ash-human..

* * *

**What's that? You think I don't like Trip? Wow! You're so observant!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch 3: Expect A Name One More Time And I'll...**

**Oh hey, looks like Ash deserved more credit than he was given. Let's see what Gary does about that.**

**By the way, Pokémon can use more than four moves. Just so you know. I think it makes things more fun, and realistic. Like really, why four for ANY reason other than in-game balance?**

**As of now, there will be a bit of playful shipping of many different varieties throughout this story. I don't really think it warrants making the second genre romance, at least not yet, but I am warning you that both homo and hetero will exist right now.**

* * *

Ash was already well on his way to Accumula Town. Sure, Brock wasn't around anymore, but he was easily able to just buy kibble and easily prepared human foods until he was able to figure out more about proper cooking. It probably wasn't all that hard, he had watched Brock a lot after all. Then his thoughts drifted unpleasantly back to that Trip kid. He was beaten easily, treated as respectfully as possible, yet he was still too proud to do anything but be rude. Hopefully, not everyone in Unova would be like that. That'd just be a nightmare. Ash pushed his worries to the back of his mind and simply continued walking for the next couple of hours, holding idle conversation with Pikachu and Snivy.

Over the years, talking to Pikachu had become nearly as easy as talking to a person. (Perhaps easier, when Ash thought of Trip...) Ash didn't understand him in perfect English, but it was easy to pick up on his emotions, intentions, and inflections to get a strong idea of what he meant. To a certain extent, the same could be done with any Pokémon, but Pikachu was by far the easiest for Ash to understand. He was also working on understanding Snivy better, and monitoring his personality. So far, Snivy reminded him a lot of Treecko, due to a serious, battle-enjoying, strength focused demeanor. However, he (ironically, given the species reputation) didn't have the same tendencies for acting 'cool' and aloof. Going off of what Pikachu had said, he seemed to be on Ash's shoulder for tactical reasons, getting a better view of things than he normally had. It made sense, vision was apparently a Snivy's best sense. Oshawott's was hearing, although it also had a strong sense of smell, and Tepig had a sense of smell even better than that. It worked out well for Ash, since Snivy would be able to follow the general style of Pikachu's speed and reflex based combat.

Ash was in no big hurry, and he was mostly focusing on taking in scenery, so he was a little surprised when Pikachu alerted him to footsteps coming from behind. When Ash turned around, there was a Trainer about his age, just a little shorter and quite frankly much fatter, with shaggy, platinum blonde hair sticking out from beneath a black baseball cap. There was something vaguely familiar about his eyes, but Ash had quite honestly met a ton of people and there was often something familiar about any given person's eyes. There was also a Lotad walking next to him, which reminded Ash of Brock's Ludicolo.

"Hey, who're you?" The boy said. Of course, the boy was actually Gary in disguise, but between his altered voice and bleached hair, Gary was pretty confident Ash wouldn't notice.

"I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum, and these two are Pikachu and Snivy." Ash said, motioning to the Pokémon on his shoulders. Gary was a little surprised. Starters were for new Trainers, how the heck did he get a Snivy?

"Well, my name's Ted. Ted Betters. As in, better than you." Gary said with a chuckle. "Just kidding. But really, how did you get that Snivy? I get the feeling you're not exactly a new Trainer. You look a bit more competent than most of them. Just a bit."

"Well, he was going to go with this one guy, but he didn't want to at the last minute...Part of me kinda wishes he did, but at the same time, I'm glad. That guy was a real jerk..." Ash grumbled the last part and adopted an irritated expression. Gary sniggered as he thought of how much of a tool the guy had to be if his starter decided to leave him and Ash of all people just blatantly insulted him.

"Well, hey, since we both just happen to have two Pokémon on us, why don't we battle?" Gary had indeed brought two Pokémon with him. Figuring it'd help ease the loneliness of leaving Umbreon behind, (it was simply too risky to resemble his true self too much) he brought her most skilled child along. She was now an Espeon, and he got her when he paired Umbreon up at the Daycare a while ago to train and study the resulting Eevee that would know Wish. What many people didn't know is that you can eventually teach a Pokémon any of it's Egg Moves, but natural Egg Moves were something the Pokémon was born with and intuitively knew. The exact science behind this strange case of Lamarck being right was a popular subject of study and debate.

"Cool! Snivy, you can go first. I want to see what you can do when your Trainer isn't a jerk." Ash said, as he backed away to increase the size of their impromptu battleground. Snivy swiftly jumped from Ash's shoulder and stood in front of him, giving Gary a confident grin.

"Okay then, let's go Lotad!" Gary cried. Lotad gave a cute but indignant battle cry and took it's place in front of Gary.

"Snivy! Start off with Growth!" Ash commanded. Snivy briefly pulsed with green energy, causing its body to take on a slick sheen and its tail and yellow 'collar' to grow slightly.

"Lotad, Rain Dance!" Gary cried out. Lotad quickly charged a bright blue ball of energy up on top of it's lily pad, then jumped up, sending it hurtling into the sky. Almost immediately, sparse natural clouds began to rapidly swirl towards where the energy ball was fired, spread out, multiply, then darken dramatically. Within seconds, it was raining pretty hard. As Lotad got wet, it's body briefly glowed blue, and it gave a cry of delight and determination before excitedly running around in incredibly fast circles, looking like it was simply gliding along the wet ground.

"_Crap._" Ash thought, knowing what had just happened. He almost immediately remembered when his Buizel activated Swift Swim. But still, neither Grass or Water could hurt Snivy much, so as long as-

"Ice Beam!" Gary called out.

"_Shit._" was the only word that came to Ash's mind. Luckily, Snivy was able to get out of the way on its own with only a minor graze

"What's wrong? Caught off guard?" Gary taunted. "Another Ice Beam, Lotad!" Gary commanded. This time, Lotad was already in a different position than before. But Ash now knew this move was a big problem, and he couldn't take it lying down.

"Dodge again!" Snivy swiftly did so at the cost of receiving a second, more serious graze, giving Lotad an intense look the entire time as it did it's best to ignore the frigid stinging. "Now, trip it up with Vine Whip!" Ash called out. With Lotad's stumpy legs, it was more successful than it had been with Pikachu. Lotad tripped over a taut vine after trying to dodge one coming straight for it, and flopped clumsily onto it's back. "Grab it and use Leaf Tornado!" Ash called out. The much more vulnerable Lotad was easily grabbed by Snivy's vines, grip made stronger by Growth, and it was thrown up into the perfect position for a point-blank Leaf Tornado.

Before long, Lotad was deposited on the ground, but now it seemed rather dizzy and awkward on it's feet. "Lotad! Jump from the side and use Ice Beam! Watch out for vines!" Gary commanded. Lotad complied after shaking off it's dizziness, then quickly maneuvered to Snivy's right and jumped surprisingly high to fire off an Ice Beam. Although Snivy didn't even dodge as gracefully that time, distracted by the pain of the grazes it had received, the Ice Beam missed by a considerable margin anyway.

"What the hell?!" Gary called out, nearly dropping his disguised voice.

"That spinning scrambles your head for a while. It gets a lot harder to aim...Especially if you don't stop moving!" Ash shouted. Snivy got the hint and quickly ran and jumped from place to place as Lotad angrily tried to keep track of it. "Now, to take care of those grazes! Snivy, grab it and use Mega Drain!" Ash called out. Snivy swiftly complied, jumping behind Lotad and tightly wrapping it in his vines before sucking up glowing spheres of yellowish-green energy, leaving Lotad looking exhausted and Snivy looking fantastic.

"Lotad! Get up! We can still-" Just then, the rain slowed to a trickle, and then stopped entirely. Lotad was teetering about slowly and weakly. Snivy simply slapped it with one of his vines, and it fell over unconscious. Gary swore under his breath and returned it.

"Next one isn't so easy! Go, Espeon!" Gary called out. The lilac cat quickly materialized on the battlefield, immediately giving Snivy a disdainful leer. "Quick Attack!" Gary called out. The graceful yet blistering speed was no dodging matter, and Snivy was hit head on.

"Use a Leaf Tornado!" Ash called out, and Snivy quickly complied. However, Espeon gracefully leapt out of the way without even being ordered.

"Look who can dodge now." Gary said, laughing. "And look who can't, too!" Like Snivy's constant movement, this seemed to be understood as an actual order rather than a statement, and Espeon fired off a Swift attack. The stars flew forward with astounding speed and sliced against Snivy's body, leaving him already looking weak and injured. Some even missed on the first pass and spun back around to dig into Snivy's back and sides.

"Snivy! Hang back and use Mega Drain!" Ash ordered.

"Let's finish this already, Espeon!" Gary called out. Espeon gave a quick nod and expertly maneuvered her way up close again with enough agility and flexibility to keep Snivy from aiming properly, then blasted him with a Confusion. He looked up weakly and angrily after being knocked back a couple of feet, apparently not quite done yet... But then he got blasted with another Confusion, and he was unconscious.

"You did great, Snivy." Ash said, as he returned him to his Pokeball. "Okay Pikachu, looks like it's your turn!" Ash said excitedly. Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and sparked his cheeks threateningly, while Espeon used her telekinesis to blow away the dust and twigs around her in a similar display of eagerness. Gary started to get a little nervous. Sure, Espeon was loads better than Lotad, but Pikachu was probably loads loads better than Snivy, which Ash had just used to handily defeat his Lotad.

Speaking of that, hot damn Ash actually did a good job. It was completely different from watching his tournament videos. (Even then, who the hell is honestly expected to defeat a Darkrai AND a Latios in the same battle?) Now he was actually here, actually battling him, and filled with a mixture of pride and disappointment. On one hand, Ash was already handling things intelligently without him. On the other hand, it was like Ash didn't even need him at all! He was supposed to be kicking his ass right from the start and throwing in smug comments all the way! Instead, this was actually pretty damn hard! But even when he was fat and tormented by puberty, Gary wasn't one to give up easily.

"Espeon, dual screens!" Gary ordered. Espeon quickly glowed green for a moment, before projecting a dome-shaped light green barrier over it's body, which quickly faded to become nearly invisible as Espeon followed it up with an almost identical barrier, but instead blue in color.

"Both at once...Nice job training that Espeon!" Ash said, smirking. Gary nearly blushed, somewhat caught off guard. This was a serious battle, what are you doing complimenting someone? And why the hell did he just blush over it? Whatever, must just be because he wasn't used to the emotions involved in battling. "Pikachu, use a concentrated Thunderbolt! We just have to do the best we can!" Pikachu complied, sending a thin yet strong Thunderbolt to Espeon. As expected, it dispersed and spread out a lot as it went through the Light Screen and did significantly less damage, but it was better than nothing.

"Espeon, Calm Mind and then Confusion!" Gary called out. Espeon gladly complied, and it's eyes and the jewel on it's head glowed purple for a moment. Then, it quickly lashed out at Pikachu with a telekinetic attack, knocking him backwards and causing him to clutch his head in pain.

"Pikachu! Agility and Iron Tail!" Ash cried. Pikachu rushed forwards in a literal blur, and Espeon tried to dodge, but simply couldn't. The Reflect slowed the Iron Tail and redirected much of its force and energy, but Pikachu still got a weak hit in.

"_Wait a minute..._" Ash thought, as he observed the Iron Tail weakly penetrate the barrier...That meant that even though it was greatly reduced in power in the process, Pikachu was still partially inside...That gave him an idea.

"Espeon, make distance! Throw him with Confusion!" Gary cried. Espeon tossed Pikachu back a good several yards, slamming him into the ground and rubbing him in the dirt a bit for good measure. "Now, Swift!" Golden stars flew over to Pikachu and rushed at him from all directions. Pikachu wearily got up, sparking angrily.

"It's not over yet, Pikachu. Get over there as fast as you can and use Iron Tail again." Pikachu nodded and sped over, although he found it a little bit more difficult to keep up with Espeon now.

"Espeon! Tire him out!" Gary said, as Espeon nimbly avoided Pikachu's attempts now that he was weaker and slower, and began shooting Swift at him. "Really, Ash? Really?" Gary said, chuckling as he teased him and watch Espeon avoid Pikachu and pepper him with more Swift as they went.

"You just watch. Pikachu, Quick Iron Tail!" Ash called out. Pikachu's speedy Iron Tail finally managed to weakly connect with Espeon.

"Yeah, but what's that gonna-" Gary's eyes widened as Ash called out his next command.

"Send a Thunderbolt through your tail!" Ash cried out. Immediately, Pikachu gave a furious scream that mixed harshly with Espeon's simultaneous scream of excruciating pain as tons of electricity coursed through her veins. Since Pikachu's tail had already made it through Reflect and Light Screen, and the attack was point-blank and exceptionally difficult to get away from on top of that, there was nothing to dampen the attack's power. Espeon collapsed after tolerating the powerful shock for a couple of seconds, and Pikachu ran back to Ash, who knelt down and allowed him to jump into his arms. Pikachu gave him a weak cry of victory, and Ash simply smiled. "You did great, buddy." Ash said, gently hugging him.

"That was...great, I have to admit." Gary said, smiling sheepishly. He was practically giddy with emotion, and he could feel himself sweating even though he had only been giving commands. Why had he ever been hesitant? Even though he'd lost, this had to be one of his best ideas ever. As stereotypical as it sounded, there was no better way to describe it: He felt alive. But still, he had to try and hide just how dorky and worked up he was feeling from Ash, so he kept his best poker face on.

"Thanks, for a minute there I thought I'd lose." Ash said with a laugh. "If you don't mind, maybe we could tag along together until we need to split up or something? A strong influence like you would definitely help me stay focused!" Ash said. Gary blushed harder this time, his heart still racing because of the battle. Seriously, what the fuck was up with him? Why was his brain getting mushy and stupid over one stinking battle?

"U-uh, I'm sorry, but, nothing personal, but..." OH FUCKING **ARCEUS** TALK STRAIGHT, MOUTH. "Yeah, I just...was always planning to handle this solo. But we can be rivals..." Gary said, shyly. Yeah, _shyly_. What the motherfucking fuck? He was supposed to be a badass rival that would get Ash really serious, not some stammering pussy!

"Oh, well I can live with that!" Ash said happily, giving Gary a cheerful smile. God fucking damnit, since when did Gary actually like that smile so much? When he was little, that smile made him want to punch Ash in the face! Puberty must be even more horrible than he first thought! "I'll be seeing you around, gotta hurry to Accumula and heal these guys up!" Ash said, hurriedly half-jogging away with Pikachu in his arms. "Nice meeting you, Ted!"

Meanwhile, Gary's thoughts were in the middle of an all-out sprint. There were a few thoughts that were especially concerning to him.

1.) Ash actually grew the fuck up and actually beat me on his first try. Feels bad, man.

2.) I'm a Trainer again! Look out, Unova, badass coming through!

3.) Ash is kinda cute now.

And most importantly...

4.) WHY THE HELL DO I THINK ASH IS KINDA CUTE NOW?!

Gary quickly went back to Nuvema to heal his Pokémon, not caring that the rapid pace was making him tired. He needed it to not focus on the dreaded thought numbers three and four...okay, okay, maybe he needed a bag of chips too. Things like this were exactly why he knew battling skill was going to take precedence over losing weight or getting girls...although he definitely hadn't taken into account that he might be a little gay too. His body stiffened in mid-stride as he entertained that possibility, and he allowed another mouthful of chips to distract him. As he walked, he was too caught up in his thoughts to notice Oshawott, who had stayed well hidden and watched the entire battle. Oshawott was now motivated more than ever to perhaps get senpai...uh, Ash, to notice him as he quietly followed Ash to Accumula Town.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch 4: ….**

**Thank you for the support and views I have gotten even though I'm just starting this story!...This is gonna be a bit different from what I first planned, I didn't think I'd enjoy writing this so much. I thought I'd spend the whole thing wisecracking on Ash and basically shitting all over the anime's way of doing things. But then the part of me that genuinely does love Pokemon woke up and now I've realized that with some extra maturity and without the anime's shitty writing (not saying that MY writing is fucking amazing, just saying the anime's writing is often terrible/overly formulaic and overly intense with the frequent and obvious reminders of things), Ash can actually be a really cool guy.**

**Also, because there's no Team Rocket, this will be a bit more like the games and feature Team Plasma...although more in the style of BW2, because Black/Touya exists and he's already dealt with the original team. (Thank me later, unless you actually liked TR even though they were extremely repetitive and annoying to the point they seemed like they were beyond saving. In that case, I'm sorry.)**

* * *

Within another two hours, Ash had reached Accumula. After healing his Pokemon, he began to explore the town and planned to get something to eat. But really, he didn't actually end up doing much exploring, because he was quickly distracted by commotion in the town's plaza. A crowd had gathered to watch two young men who were standing on an elevated platform. There was one who was somewhat taller and a bit older looking, with a long, frizzy green ponytail and a black and white cap. The younger and shorter one had brown hair and a red and white cap with a Pokeball symbol on the front. Ash couldn't help but come watch as well, fascinated by what was going on.

"Good day to you all! I'm N, and this is Black." N, the man with green hair, motioned to the brown-haired boy beside him. Ash was immediately surprised, to think he'd see the person Professor Juniper talked about so soon...Or at least it was likely to be him, but come on, how many teenaged boys are named Black? "I am aware that a couple of years prior, Team Plasma came to this plaza and preached about Pokémon liberation..." There were boos and whispers throughout the crowd, apparently everyone but Ash knew what he was talking about. Yet another situation where Ash felt stupid, wonderful... He wasn't exactly sure why he was so hung up on his perceived stupidity lately, since he wasn't a native and he wasn't expected to be aware of that, but he felt that he could've done some more studying about the culture and history of the region before coming... But for that moment, Ash decided to push those thoughts back and just focus on whatever N was saying.

"Although I was unfortunately involved in that deplorable scheme, Black has convinced me that my old methodology was heavily flawed. I was manipulated and misguided, but I now wish to rectify that. So today, we will be showing you a friendly battle, to advocate the importance of respect, control, and awareness of a Pokémon's feelings. This will be a self-defense style battle, to show that an opponent does not have to be beaten with brute strength alone, even if you do not have a naturally defensive Pokémon. I will be the aggressor, and Black will be the defender. Remember to never overwork your Pokémon! Despite the existence of Pokémon Centers and healing items, in the last decade alone, permanent injury and death from Pokémon battling has risen by 40%! Never believe that you are invincible!" Although N had started out calm and matter-of-fact, he seemed to get louder and more emotional when he got to the part about overworking Pokemon. Black put a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave him a worried look, which allowed N to calm down and simply nod to Black. A moment later, they were on opposite sides of the plaza, and they simultaneously sent out their Pokemon...or at least Black did. N simply held up his arm and made two wide waving motions. A very regal looking Mienshao with beautiful fur stood in front of Black, and a rugged but very strong and eager looking Archeops swooped down with unbelievable speed from some location behind the audience.

Ash got much more interested, along with the rest of the crowd, and now even more people were coming. Archeops were a pretty big deal, having only been recently revived, and then discovered still naturally living in small numbers in very remote locations that were now actively hidden from the public. "You may have the first move." N said curtly.

"Thanks! Mai, Fake Out!" Black commanded. Immediately, the Mienshao rushed forward...Except it didn't even seem like a rush, that was much too rough of a word. It was too light, swift, and airy for that, the footsteps were so fleeting and infrequent that they barely even disturbed the grass. By time Mai had reached the Archeops and clapped her paws together to perform the attack, the deceptively loud sound of the resulting shockwave was the only thing that brought Ash out of his awestruck state.

"Now, Bulk Up." Black called. Mai did a swift, fluid, graceful twirl and then briefly touched her paws together, immediately causing her entire body to give off a reddish-pink aura, and her stance to become sturdier and more intimidating.

"Archeops, remain calm. Acrobatics." N said. Archeops got over it's shock and took to the skies in the blink of an eye. Despite the species normally utilizing a running start, Archeops was airborne with nothing but two strides and an almighty horizontal leap, and it immediately began maneuvering around Mai with a forceful but incredibly fast and precise style of flight, it's wings beating with incredible power.

"Detect." Black ordered. Mai's eyes glowed green, and she easily leapt out of the way just as Archeops swooped across the plaza to hit her. It went on like this a few more times, Archeops expertly turning and swiping at Mai with blistering speed, using whatever body part was most handy, but Mai effortlessly dodged each time, moving with flawless grace and unbelievable precision. The audience backed away a bit, but simultaneously grew in numbers, as Archeops would continually fly very close to the people up front. Still, it's flight seemed incredibly well controlled and efficient. There was nary a superfluous wingbeat, and the tight, high-speed circular motion seemed to give Mienshao as little leeway as possible. Ash suspected a collision would never actually happen, and it was probably just for intentional wow factor. (which was definitely working even on him, despite his educated guess.)

"Archeops, limit mobility with Rock Slide." N ordered. With one piercing screech from Archeops, large boulders began to rain down onto the plaza, scaring the audience backward even further, but less than expected. By now, everyone was absolutely captivated. The boulders were long, jagged, tightly spaced, and irregular, and although Mai dodged the ones actually coming for her, it did indeed seem much more difficult to move around now.

"Mai, kick them into dust!" Black commanded. Mai hopped up to get on top of one, looking as if she were going to land gracefully as always. Instead, she suddenly jutted her foot out before landing, and the rock was reduced to rubble. She repeated this a couple more times, until she was interrupted by Archeops.

"Grab her!" N commanded. Archeops swiftly dove down and prepared to make a sharp, tight turn to get Mai from behind, but Black wasn't having it.

"Dodge, then Force Palm!" Black commanded. Mai immediately got down on her stomach, missing strong, sharp talons by just a hair, then jumped up after Archeops just as it passed her, now with a glowing white orb in one of her paws. She nearly missed, but she managed to grab Archeops' tail and slam the orb in her other paw into its back, just between the wings, sending them both plummeting to the ground with a blast of white light. Mai let go and landed gracefully, but Archeops was lying on the ground. It managed to stand up again, but its movements seemed shaky and unstable, and it could only weakly flap its wings.

"W-well, there you have it, everyone! Great job, Mai." Black said, petting Mai on the head. N took a few steps forward and sprayed a Full Restore on Archeops' back, which immediately caused it to perk up. In comparison to N's steady, professional speech, Black was unexpectedly high pitched and more than a little nervous sounding. It was an unexpected contrast with his skill and confidence in commanding his Pokémon.

"Excellent demonstration, Archeops. You may go now." N said, and the Archeops gave a proud screech before simply flying away.

The audience immediately began to cheer and applaud, and N blushed and looked down at the ground, while Black bowed and then took off N's hat and tousled his hair. N blushed even more in response, which Ash found odd. Hadn't he just been giving a speech like a pro? What was so different about the applause?

"Everyone! To, uh, thank you for coming to watch today, N and I have prepared a gift! She'll be a great new friend for whichever lucky person gets her!" Black said, as he held up a Dusk Ball and sent out a Deino. She was a bit smaller than most Deino and she seemed afraid, hiding behind Black's leg. Black bent down and gently began to stroke her back, continuing to speak as he did so. "This Deino was found abandoned in the alleyways of Castelia City. From what we have been able to figure out, someone who shall remain anonymous abandoned this poor girl because they believed her to be unsatisfactory. She isn't very experienced, but she has inherited all three elemental fang moves from the Arbok that fathered her. She will surely be a wonderful companion!"

The crowd was rife with gasps of excitement and anticipation, and some people were already pushing and jostling their way up front to try to get a head start on whatever they'd be asked to do. Black smiled and stood up to face the audience. "H-however, we need to make sure that whoever gets this Deino will do right by her! So, uh, that's where Mai comes in again! As a very well trained fighting-type, she's going t-to be reading your auras, and she'll figure out which one of you is best suited...Well, uh, good luck!" Black said, as Mai's eyes began to glow blue and she steadily scanned the audience. At first, Mai's gaze simply passed Ash by. But on the second pass, Ash could feel a very strange sort of grasping, tingling sensation in his chest. Mai was looking right at him, her eyes seeming to pierce deep into him. It was an incredibly strange feeling, it was if she were looking at not just him, but his very soul. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her gaze broke, and she said something to Black, who immediately looked excited.

"Oh, uh, you! The one with the Pikachu and Snivy! L-looks like Mai is pretty sure about this! Get up here, please!" Black said. Ash excitedly ran up to the stage, as the rest of the crowd looked on. Deino gave a small, nervous cry and hid behind Black even further. Black knelt down again and spoke to her in a small, soft, soothing voice, which carried a charismatic charm completely different from the nervous voice he spoke to the audience with. "Don't be afraid. I'm certain this Trainer will love you with all his heart. Remember to do your best, okay?" he gently hugged the small dragon, and once he was done she walked over to hide behind Ash's leg with no fuss at all.

"S-so, there you have it everyone!" Black said, as he timidly put Deino's Dusk Ball in Ash's hands. "We have a winner!" There was some clapping, but it wasn't as loud as Ash had expected. There seemed to be whispers and commentary throughout the audience, sounds of smacking lips and disbelieving glances between those who were actually happy or at least sufficiently courteous to act completely happy. Ash shrank a little, as he felt a strange inadequacy creep over him. He was imagining words in the crowd that weren't even actually being said now, and his head was swimming. What was with him and not feeling good enough all of the sudden? He was Ash Ketchum, he could take a insult nuke to the face and live, although he would be rightfully angry at you.

So what was different lately? Ever since the Sinnoh League, every little thing people said about him, every little insinuation that he wasn't anything special, anything about him being stupid, hard-headed, forgetful, weak, all those kinds of things, made him feel like crap deep down. He was Ash Ketchum! He witnessed legends, he raised dozens of Pokemon, he fought in all sorts of leagues! Thirty-two badges, seven symbols, the Orange Islands too! Was he ever really going to be good enough?! It was like he hadn't ever grown at all, and everyone could see it. Everyone could see a dumb little ten year old trying to become six years older all at once so he could reach his dream he constantly screwed up on. Apparently, he wasn't even good enough to hide the sudden wave of anxiety he was feeling, because Black had to ask him if he was okay, and people were giving him weirder looks than ever.

As Ash looked through the audience, he froze up when he saw Trip. Trip was here, looking at him completely losing it! "I-I'm Ash Ketchum, and I..." He took a deep breath, and managed to regain his composure. He had stood in front of people tons of times, he wasn't about to wimp out now. "I came here all the way from Kanto to be the best Trainer I can be. I've entered other leagues in the past, but I've never been first place. Here, I'm hoping I'll be able to change that. I'm very happy to receive this Deino. Thank you very much." Ash said humbly. He got a better reception then, but what really changed people's minds was when they started asking to look at his Pokedex. Turns out you can't fake encountering literally a few hundred Pokémon, including many legendaries. The utterly defeated, disbelieving expression on Trip's face was rewarding all by itself.

As Ash said his goodbyes and walked away, he felt much better, but he still couldn't deny that for a moment there he definitely wasn't feeling okay. Sure, things were just a little weird instead of outright miserable or awful, but he couldn't help but feel that the playful joke he made to Pikachu only hours ago was starting to become reality... Similar to what he had told Gary several days ago at home, the love he felt towards Pikachu seemed to ironically make it painful to derive comfort from his presence whenever he was feeling like a disappointment.

Pikachu was like a gateway into everything he had ever done as a Trainer... Looking at Pikachu was like looking back in time. He began to bitterly remember everything as he walked. The positives were like a cheap lotion, only a teasing, hollow relief from the biting, stinging feel of all the negatives. Badges won without even really battling... Losing to rivals and sometimes Gym Leaders and Frontier members time and time again... Never winning any major region's league... Parting from old friends... All the Pokémon he left behind and hardly spent time with... All the Pokémon he wanted to see again but never did. It was like something inside of him had obstinately remained focused and unbreakable this whole time, only to reveal it had been slowly cracking this whole time.

Still, Ash was determined to keep pressing on. If he truly did his best now, then surely he'd get over this weird inner conflict before long. After all, that was what he was conflicted over in the first place, so it'd be counterproductive to let it negatively affect his journey. He still had a lot going for him, after all. His best friend, a cool new grass type, a young dragon, completely schooling an arrogant asswipe, and having an exciting and rewarding battle with a rival who was actually a respectable person.

Once he was well outside of town, he decided to train for a while. It was already past four PM, walking to Striaton all in one go was impossible even when you had the entire day. Especially because this journey needed to be about quality, not speed or quantity. Plus, he was genuinely excited about seeing what Deino was like. "Okay...Pikachu, I want you to spar with her. I don't think I have to tell you, but she's a little scared, so be gentle, okay?" Ash said. Pikachu nodded and ran over to take his position several meters away. Deino immediately seemed to tense up, but Ash spoke to her in a soft tone, emulating the way Black did it. "Don't worry, Pikachu has dealt with all kinds of Pokemon. He won't actually hurt you, and I'll tell you what to do. So just relax and trust me, and eventually you'll learn to trust yourself too." Deino nodded and faced Pikachu, giving a small battle cry.

"Now, use Bite!" Ash commanded. Deino hesitated for a moment and then charged forward, mouth agape. Pikachu allowed himself to be bitten, only to cry out in surprised pain when it actually happened. This kid really had some impressive teeth!

"Sorry Pikachu, that's probably Hustle. It makes it a little easier to dodge her, but it also makes her stronger than she looks." Ash called out sheepishly. "Speaking of that, that's actually what we should be working on. Since she isn't as accurate, we need to be dodging. Deino! That was great, keep trying to do that! But this time, Pikachu is gonna be on the move!" Pikachu could feel an anxious tingle run down his spine. He already wanted to use something like Agility or Double Team, easily becoming a nearly impossible target, but he intuitively knew he was supposed to rely on his base speed. Ah, the things he did for love.

At first, he never got bitten, but as Ash coached Deino's attempts and Deino kept trying, he ended up covered in bite marks. "Sorry, Pikachu..." Ash mumbled, trying not to laugh as he sprayed Pikachu with some Potions. Pikachu was less than amused. Not only was her normal bite strong, Pikachu learned the hard way that all three elemental fang attacks worked _JUST FINE_. Plus, she seemed to have a head of reinforced concrete even with the fur mostly covering it, as evidenced by her Headbutt.

And now that they were back at the Pokémon Center, she was eating an incredible amount of food with great gusto. The food seemed to make her much friendlier, and she was affectionately nibbling Pikachu's ears and calling him "Uncle Chu" in her own language, which annoyed him partly because it was well, annoying, and partly because she was cute and innocent enough that he felt guilty for being mad at her. Then Snivy slapped her with a vine when she bit his leaf out of curiosity, and Ash had to scold them in the middle of the cafeteria, only to get embarrassed and go soft on Deino because she nearly started crying.

Meanwhile, Snivy didn't know what to make of her. That bite hurt like when Tepig burns you for teasing her too much, so obviously she needed to be put in her place. But at the same time, if it hurt so much, that meant she was already pretty strong, so Ash should probably keep her around. And then after Ash yelled at them she got all super apologetic and wimpy on him and began insisting they be "bestest friends", which was pretty endearing but at the same time they hardly knew each other. The main thing keeping Snivy from coldly blowing her off was that he was secretly pretty damn scared of what her Fire and Ice Fang attacks might feel like. It didn't help that he asked Pikachu if there was anything he could do about that and all Pikachu could tell him was that Dragons resist Grass moves. But out of Oshawott, Tepig, and he, it had always been his duty to be cool, brave, and strong. (Even if Oshawott always insisted that he'd be strongest if Snivy weren't a grass type) So he sucked it up and acted nice to Deino.

The next day, they began their trip to Striaton for the first badge of the region. Deino seemed scared about it, even though Pikachu was looking forward to it and Snivy was absolutely thrilled. She tried to match their excitement, but she couldn't help but feel that she'd probably mess things up somehow...and then Ash would leave her in those dark alleyways again. Sure, she actually really liked the dark, it was completely natural when you can't even see anyways. But what she really hated was being all alone, and the first human she met telling her she wasn't what he wanted. She still didn't even know what it was he wanted, but it hurt her feelings to know it wasn't her.

* * *

**The following paragraphs will be from Deino's perspective.**

But later that day, she found something that made her feel a lot better. Jumping! Papa Ash started training her to jump so she could fight better, and it was really fun! It was like flying! Uncle Chu and Bestest Friend didn't understand why she called Papa Ash that, but that was pretty simple to her. Papa Ash took care of her now, just like how Papa N and Mama Black did...Uncle Chu and Bestest Friend were confused about Mama Black too, because Mama Black is a boy human, but that was simple too. Papa N was already Papa N, and Mama Black and Papa N were almost always together, so Mama Black couldn't be another Papa. Plus, they loved each other a whole lot, so that proved it!

But what surprised Uncle Chu and Bestest Friend most was when she told them that Papa N could understand her perfectly no matter what, just like a Pokémon! Uncle Chu understood, but Bestest Friend was a meanie and didn't believe her! Uncle Chu explained that he remembered a strong human named Bananabell...No wait, Anabel, and she could do the same thing. For a little while, she thought that maybe Papa Ash would evolve into the same kind of person, but Uncle Chu told her that humans don't evolve like that. Instead of evolving all at once, they just evolve really, really slowly all their lives, and for some weird reason they only call it "growing up". Uncle Chu said he didn't really understand why either, even though Papa Ash tried explaining it sometimes, but all he was really sure of was that Pokémon and humans just had a lot of differences.

Everything that had happened lately was a lot for Deino to think about, but as she walked with her new family, she was sure she'd figure it out eventually.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch 5: Name This Whatever You Want, See If I Care**

**I have another story I'm supposed to be updating but I don't feel like it right now, so I'm just going with what I feel like writing because the way I see it, I'm glad that I feel like writing at all. -lame excuse is lame-**

* * *

Chili, Fire type Gym Leader of Striation City, wiped his brow in frustration... This would be his hardest challenge yet... Or maybe that was just his tendency to exaggerate things speaking. Either way, he knew he had an important job to do, one that he had to accomplish at all costs... But every time, he failed. This was no ordinary job, this was the job of only the greatest warriors... It was his immutable responsibility as a Fire type Gym Leader.

He had to catch a troublesome Pokémon.

But it wasn't just ANY troublesome Pokémon, oh no! This was a Pokémon he spent two months trying to capture, ever since the first complaints of it stealing food and causing property damage were filed. By now, the entire city knew it as "Ol' Sunny". A furry, six legged, fire spitting, rocket-propelled menace to society.

In other words, a particularly powerful, crafty, and mean-spirited Larvesta.

He had tried to capture it alone. For one, it was a matter of pride, and on top of that, his brothers didn't take him very seriously when he tried to convince them of just how strong it was. But after much pleading, he finally broke down and got his brother Cress to come along with him. With Water types, this bug would be no problem, right?

Oh, how wrong he was.

The battle started out simple enough. They found the Larvesta in the Dreamyard, and it seemed entirely unaware of them, simply turned around eating berries off of the ground. Chili and Cress were sure they got the jump on it when Simipour was quietly sent out. One surprise Scald, and the little miscreant would be out cold. But of course, things didn't quite go that way. With unbelievable speed, the Larvesta blasted itself into the air with a Flame Charge, and the Scald missed by a mile. Everyone but Larvesta was thoroughly astonished. Larvesta, on the other hand, was absolutely furious. With a piercing screech, it shot a blazing red orb into the sky, immediately evacuating the sparse clouds in the area and creating a transparent red tinted covering that seemed to magnify the sun's rays. It then rushed forward with a Wild Charge at blistering speed, slamming right into Simipour.

Of course, Simipour didn't take it well, and by now Cress knew he had to do something. Quickly, he commanded a Rain Dance to take back the weather, but as soon as Larvesta heard the words it sprang into action. Once again, it did a Flame Charge straight into the air and then came down with a positively ruthless Wild Charge, completely ruining Simipour's focus and sending it flying backwards. Once it tried to get up, the Larvesta simply reared up on its back legs and performed a Giga Drain, knocking it unconscious and restoring the health Larvesta lost to Wild Charge. It gave an indignant squeal of challenge, spitting small streams of flames from its horns eagerly. Cress and Chili looked at each other with very serious expression as they realized the full gravity of the situation. They both nodded, and then sent out Magcargo and Seismitoad. The PLAN was to end the fiery freak's reign of terror with Rock moves, which it was 4x weak to. The EXECUTION was different.

Larvesta was now literally blazing fast from it's two Flame Charges, and it seemed to simply be barreling along on the ground like a big furry bullet rather than actually running. It charged forward, and just when Magcargo was about to squash it with a Rock Slide, it immediately rushed past Seismitoad for safety, neatly avoiding the sluggish Pokemon's attempt. It's eyes glowed deep purple for just a second as it blasted it's way back over the heads of the absolutely astonished Trainers with a Flame Charge, moving through the air much too swiftly to hit. It landed and expertly dispatched Seismitoad in one move with a Giga Drain, and that's when the brothers realized it must have just used Calm Mind. "That's a new one." Chili thought morosely.

Cress's mind was absolutely racing, where the hell did this thing learn these moves? Chili ordered a Rock Polish, Stone Edge combo, but the Larvesta was so fast and cheeky it got up on Magcargo's back and did another Calm Mind. Surely Magcargo's back had to be at least a little painful, but with the Calm Mind boosts and it's typing, Larvesta probably hardly cared about the heat at all. With a victorious screech, it dug in its legs and started a long, merciless, Giga Drain, and then it laughed a shrill, screeching laugh the entire time. Eventually, even the sturdy Magcargo was out cold. Chili and Cress could only watch in silent horror as it laughed right in their faces, and then flew away with a Flame Charge so fast it only seemed like a fiery blur.

Once again, completely foiled by Ol' Sunny...with it's Flame Charge flight and it's hard-hitting Wild Charge, Cress knew his Swanna, the last Pokémon he brought in case it tried escaping, which is how he had imagined it was "winning" before this humiliating battle, would end in disaster too. Chili had a Darmanitan, but the loathsome insect would just use a combination of Flame Charge and String Shot to enforce it's "too fast to do shit about" strategy. It didn't help that Larvesta silk was naturally very sturdy and impervious to fire. Or perhaps that was just the particular Larvesta, since Pokémon had a disturbingly effective ability to improve on themselves in the most unlikely ways. What many new Trainers failed to realize was that once they got out into the real world, it wasn't just a game with strict stats and rules. Pokémon adapted endlessly, and had the capacity to overcome their weaknesses.

Darmanitan was capable of incredible jumps, but not Larvesta's more nimble and speedy fiery propulsion. Once Darmanitan was vulnerable, it'd latch onto his back and use the electricity of Wild Charge in such a way that it seemed specifically tailored to cause tortuous pain. Darmanitan tended to flinch whenever Larvesta even got close in battle now.

But this incredible strength and battle genius didn't come from nowhere. In fact, Larvesta was a Pokémon that took himself incredibly seriously. Years ago, he had left Relic Castle as a young Larvesta looking to settle his own territory after Plasma disturbed it in their frantic search for some fancy stone marble thing, and he'd been roaming the region ever since. It wasn't because he had trouble with the whole territory thing, it was just that he really wasn't interested at all. His mother, a very powerful de facto guardian of Relic Castle, had told him to always be as strong as he could, and trained him well before leaving, so that when he settled somewhere, he could defend it with all his might. Ever since then, he took the advice very seriously. But at the same time, he usually saw humans as things to toy with. Almost all of them were simple, greedy, strange creatures, ransacking his birthplace, trying to catch him in one of those horrendous stuffy metal spheres, trying to defeat him.

He hadn't always been very powerful, and he was quite cocky at first, so he actually did experience a lot of defeat early on. However, he learned a lot about his enemies in the process. The infernal Rock, Water, and Flying types were his biggest concerns, so he painstakingly came up with ways around them. For all of humanity's strangeness, he had to admit they were very entertaining and occasionally quite genius in battle. Through watching, experiencing, and experimenting on his own, he learned all sorts of things about overpowering others. Despite his cheeky, grating, and violent nature, he made it a point to never be cocky anymore. Brave and daring, absolutely. He loved to push himself. Boastful and a bit twisted, yes, but that was for humor, and simply to create the illusion that he was cocky, to make victory all the sweeter when the opponent realized he was taking them very seriously all along. Calm Mind was his most recent movepool addition, learned from the matriarch Musharna of the Dreamyard after he beat her in a fight. He was also learning Psychic, which he planned to utilize in his next battle against Chili.

Despite what Chili must have thought, Larvesta actually had a great fondness for that human. He was bold, determined, proactive, authoritative, and he had a great respect for Fire types. The battles with him were as good a reason as any to linger in Striaton for so long, and he often became unusually troublesome on purpose if he wanted Chili to come after him again. Still, he didn't actually want to be caught. The last Trainer he had, after escaping a few times from those who managed to defeat and capture his younger self, was a young male human named Black. Even then, that wasn't really a formal Trainer. He did it because not only was Black strong, he was remarkably respectful and understanding to him, unlike most humans who didn't understand a word from his mouth. He had no Pokeball, simply following Black around and exploring with him. Black taught him Wild Charge, and helped him fly better and faster with Flame Charge. They would get up early and train together, and Black and his Pokémon were all very helpful and knowledgeable. He came and went as he pleased, until one day, he simply said a humble goodbye and left for good. He was thoroughly impressed that Black understood, unlike so many other humans, who would whine and cry and screech and kick instead of letting you do a damn thing...

When he thought about it, maybe he did want to be caught. But only on specific terms. If a human like Black or Chili who was in need of assistance and power came along, he'd be happy to give it to them in exchange for a good fight. But Black was already incredibly tough, despite a meek appearance as far as humans went, and Chili wasn't on the move. If he was getting a Trainer, he needed one that was on the move! Maybe one day, they could even go to one of those other regions he heard things about. The thought of a whole new place potentially full of new opponents and challenges filled Larvesta's heart with joy. But where would he find such a strong, respectable, traveling human?

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash still had several days before he would reach Striaton. He passed the time with his Pokémon, simply walking, talking, and training. He figured that as long as he wasn't in a restricted location, he could start leaving them outside of their Pokeballs. He was already pretty certain of the idea that to make a truly good team, he had to form strong bonds with all of them. At any rate, he knew even Deino probably had far more energy than he ever would, so he wasn't too worried about them getting tired.

All the increased interaction helped him think of a rather inventive way to teach Deino some of the useful moves he saw the species could learn on his Pokedex. Specifically, Thunder Wave and Double Team. Since Pikachu knew them, what way was better than a Pokémon who actually understood what the moves were like? This way, if there were issues, they were actually correctable, rather than the usual and rather discouraging "keep trying until you 'get it' " method.

Pikachu was quite the effective teacher, and Snivy quickly learned Double Team. Deino picked up Thunder Wave quickly, using the pre-existing knowledge of Thunder Fang, which Ash was thrilled about, because a paralyzed enemy was much slower and would further mitigate Hustle's shortcomings. She had some issues with Double Team, which took two days of patience and reassurance to overcome, but eventually she figured it out.

Over the remaining few days, the new attacks were perfected. But just a day before they would be arriving in Striaton, Deino noticed that there was a peculiar smell in the area. It was similar to Pikachu's scent, yet distinctly different. More like if Pikachu got wet. But even then, not quite like that. It was like Pikachu soaking in a pool for days and losing the mild, zingy sharpness of his odor to a somewhat more mellow and slightly oily smell. Deino sniffed around curiously, and then she heard breathing. It was small, like Pikachu or Snivy, but it wasn't quite the same. It was fast, quiet, and nervous. When it came to a Deino's nose and ears, there was no hiding. With a cry of excitement, she clumsily rushed into the bushes that hid this odd spy. In about two minutes, after some shrill cries and heavy commotion, she came back with an impressive grip on Oshawott's arm, dragging him like he was only a minor inconvenience. This was in stark contrast to Oshawott himself, who trashed and pulled and cried out with all his might, yet Deino didn't respond besides some unintelligible growls and trilling noises, since she couldn't talk clearly while pulling him. After a little while, Oshawott calmed down, and he found himself standing right in front of the very Trainer he had been stalking/following for day.

"Oh, wow, an Oshawott! ...Hold on a minute, haven't I already met you?" Ash asked. Oshawott blushed and fidgeted very uncomfortably on the spot. Snivy smirked and used a vine to smack him even closer to Ash. "...Did you want to come too? There's no reason to be shy, we won't hurt you." Ash reassured the small otter. Oshawott looked around nervously and finally nodded to Ash hesitantly. "Okay then, you can come with us!" Oshawott's eyes became large and watery with happiness, and he ran over to celebrate with Snivy... except Snivy pushed him away with his vines before Oshawott could reach him. "Some friends you are..." Ash said jokingly, laughing. "By the way, Deino, it isn't nice to drag anyone if you aren't battling." Ash added lightly. Of course, Deino looked as if that comment called her entire existence into question, and she collapsed onto her stomach and gave a plaintive cry of dramatic apology.

The rest of the road to Striaton was rather uneventful besides more training and conversation, and Ash arrived safely. Oshawott seemed to have made good friends with Pikachu and Deino already, although he was very wary of whenever Deino bit at anything or even smiled, revealing her stubby but very sharp and numerous conical teeth. Ash actually wasn't even thinking about immediately rushing into the gym. He had an interest in the city itself, since it was bigger and more interesting than the two towns he had seen before. From what he already knew, the Dreamyard was a very nice place to train, and there was a small but healthy community of Trainers who battled often there. Once everyone had eaten and rested, Ash made his way to the Dreamyard. Near the entrance, there was a young blonde woman dressed in orange, green, and white, with a distinctive green hat and an odd, pink and purple tapir Pokémon floating by her side, which Ash recognized as Musharna. She appeared to be talking to someone through a wristwatch, which Ash was happy he recognized as an Xtransceiver. Ash decided to wait around and try not to eavesdrop too much, since the Musharna looked well taken care of and he wanted to ask about it.

"I'm sorry, Cherry, but why would a Larvesta be here of all places? They're hardly even where you expect to find them, surely it'd have been noticed and captured by now."

A masculine voice answered on the other end, sounding a little annoyed. "First of all, Bianca, it's _Cheren_. If the children here hear you, I'll never live it down...Second, everyone in Striaton knows about that Larvesta. They call it Ol' Sunny, apparently it's a powerful troublemaker in the area."

Ash smiled, since he couldn't help but overhear that and be reminded of how he met his Squirtle. Although Cheren sounded young, he seemed to speak very loudly, firmly, and clearly. From the line about children, Ash imagined Cheren was a teacher or special guest speaker of some sort. And now Ash realized he was hopelessly unable to stop listening, since he knew Cheren had rather recently become a Gym Leader too, although facing him would be optional.

"Oh, so that's why Chili had you ask me to come here...Just a bug, huh? Well, Guillo can handle that...just one Aqua Tail!" Bianca said confidently.

"Bianca, you should take this seriously..." Cheren warned.

"Guillo is a Haxorus, how could he possibly get beaten by just a Larvesta? You worry too much, Cher-Bear." Bianca chided playfully.

"Stop with the nicknames!" Cheren cried. "Let a guy worry sometimes..."

"Aw, Cheri Berry, that's so sweet of you!" Bianca squealed.

"Whatever...Since you understand, I guess I'll go for now."

"Cherryyy! You never hang around! Come on, at least blow me a kiss or something!"

"There has to be at least a dozen children here, I can't do that!"

"Well, you better do something, or else I'm going to shout something really embarrassing so they can all hear it!"

Cheren was quiet for a moment, but then he spoke up somewhat shyly and quietly. "Bye, love you, Bibi Baby..."

"LOVE YOU TOO CHERRY PIE!" Bianca yelled right into the phone, hanging up just as the voices of children and a very flustered Cheren started to come through. Bianca then started to look around with a giddy smile still on her face, until she noticed Ash had been standing not too far away the entire time. Immediately, she blushed redder than a beet and looked absolutely mortified. "U-uh, you over there, how much of that did you hear?!"

"Uh...all of it?" Ash answered honestly and sheepishly. Bianca looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her once she heard his answer.

"I-I'm really sorry about that, it was really unprofessional! You'll just forget about that, right? Right! So, uh, w-was there something you wanted?!" Bianca said, her tone completely unstable as she fought back her blushing.

"Well, it wasn't very important... But why are you worried about being unprofessional? It's my fault for being so nosy about the conversation with your boyfriend..." Ash said.

"I'm Professor Juniper's loyal assistant, I can't just- Hey, are those her starters?! Guys, what are you doing with him? It's one starter per Trainer!" Bianca said, looking down at Oshawott and up at Snivy on Ash's shoulder. Oshawott just shrugged, and Snivy turned his head, crossed his arms, and dismissed her with a flick of a vine. "Jeez, too independent for your own good...well, at least I can let the Professor know that Oshawott is fine." Ash nearly fell flat on his face as the weight of such obvious stupidity pressed down on him. He completely forgot to let the Professor know that!

"O-oh, uh, yeah, I should've done that, I'm so sorry..." Ash said, feeling his entire face turn red as he struggled to explain his oversight to Bianca.

"She wasn't that worried, the whole point of the starters is that they should be strong enough to handle anything in Nuvema's general area right off the bat, or smart enough to get away from it... But still, I swear that woman... I-I mean, Professor Juniper is way too calm about things sometimes..." Bianca cleared her throat and adopted a more cheery, bubbly tone. "So you're Ash, right? Professor Juniper told me about how Snivy changed his mind at the last minute to travel with you! Apparently, she has a lot of confidence in you. So hey, uh, if you're not too busy, wanna help me find the Larvesta? I'm curious about why an expert like Chili would be having such a hard time capturing it."

"Sure, that sounds fun. Am I right, guys?" Ash said, addressing his Pokémon. Everyone responded in the affirmative, and off Ash, Bianca, and their Pokémon went, deeper into the Dreamyard.

It wasn't too hard to recognize scorched areas and food remains, so Deino was tasked with sniffing around for bigger clues, and eventually Larvesta itself. Among the food remains, there were plenty of confirmations that Larvesta are indeed skillful predators, and Ash had to scold Deino when she began to eagerly finish off a few corpses. But other than that, the hunt went pretty well. After an hour or so, Larvesta was found in a small clearing, with the trees draped in silk and a nest made of leaves, fur, feathers, and silk. Such luxuries were hard to come by in a desert, or impractical when not staying very long, and Larvesta was milking it for all it was worth. He covertly used a Calm Mind as he saw the two unfamiliar humans approaching, and prepared for a fight.

"Okay, Guillo! Aqua Tail!" Bianca called out, as she threw a Pokeball into the air. A very impressive looking Haxorus came out, and he immediately rushed forward to perform his duty... Except he collapsed to the ground in mid-stride before even reaching Larvesta, then got blown backwards into a tree and clutched his head in great pain. "It knows Psychic? But how?! And how so strong?" Bianca cried in confusion. Meanwhile, Larvesta was wasting no time. He fluidly transitioned into a very speedy U-Turn from a Flame Charge dash, and hit Guillo head on, only to repeat the same thing twice before Guillo finally managed to send him flying backwards with a furious smack from his tail. Larvesta quickly got up and used another Calm Mind, then took to the air with a Flame Charge.

"Well...uh, wow..." Bianca muttered, before issuing another command. "Dragon Dance!" Guillo immediately swung his tail in front of him with surprisingly grace and then and stamped his foot, causing him to be coated in a light blue aura. With astounding speed, he avoided Larvesta as he descended with another U-Turn. But of course, Larvesta wasn't having that. He immediately followed up with a very generous String Shot from behind, leaving Guillo angrily struggling as Larvesta attacked with more silk and a combo chain of very rapid U-Turns, running past and starting another one in the middle of the last one's turning motion rather than the normal hit and run execution. Guillo broke out in time to land a very powerful Dragon Claw, only for Larvesta to shake it off and quickly use Flame Charge to get behind him. He then used a Giga Drain that was so thoroughly ferocious and Calm Mind boosted that the resistance didn't matter, and Guillo was out cold.

"Dear Arceus...It's a monster..." Bianca said in complete astonishment, as she returned Guillo. "I'm sorry Guillo, we could've won if I had been more serious..." Bianca muttered regretfully. The Larvesta laughed and made a series of taunting noises, only for Pikachu to suddenly spark aggressively and jump down off of Ash's shoulder, adopting a fighting stance.

"Pikachu, what's up with you?" Ash asked in confusion. Pikachu shouted something to Ash over his shoulder, and Ash almost laughed because it was so ridiculously odd yet fitting. "You're mad...because he swore?" Ash said, now thoroughly amused. Pikachu said some more things, and Ash now allowed himself to actually laugh. "So you don't think anyone should be swearing around Deino? Okay then, I guess we're doing this! Pikachu, Agility and Thunder Wave!" Ash commanded. Pikachu complied, and Larvesta almost got out of the way with a Flame Charge, only for Pikachu to suddenly shift direction ever so slightly and actually connect the attack. Larvesta squirmed in frustration and confusion as the Flame Charge sputtered out, resolving to make that damn rat pay.

"Now, Agility and Double Team! Avoidance is key!" Ash called out. Larvesta was astounded as Pikachu suddenly became about 30 Pikachus, all moving at speeds that shouldn't even be possible. He angrily spat silk to try and get Pikachu to slow down, but all he did was dispatch a few illusions while the real Pikachu dodged so fast he left an afterimage. "Volt Tackle! Our Special moves won't do as much!" Larvesta tried to time a String Shot for Pikachu's assumed head-on arrival, but Pikachu zig-zagged and ending up crashing into him with incredible force.

But still, Larvesta had more than a few plans. He hung on briefly and coated himself in fire, activating his Flame Body ability. When Pikachu stopped, he had quite obviously been burned. Embers coated his body, and periodically flared up and caused pain. Larvesta clasped his front legs together happily and rushed forward with a Flame Charge...Won't be long now.

But still, Pikachu dodged, and blindsided him with an extremely speedy Volt Tackle before he could even stop and fully obtain the much needed speed increase. It hurt much less, but damn, just when he thought he was getting somewhere.

"Pikachu! Don't worry! Just get close and pump him with all the electricity you've got! We're gonna end this on our terms!" Pikachu obliged, jumping right on Larvesta's back and digging in with an Iron Tail.

"_Now, please reconsider saying such dirty things around sweet little girls._" Pikachu said calmly in his own language.

"_You fucking wish, you candy-ass fancy-footed bitch! I can say whatever the hell I want! I'll roast your damn fur off and eat you from the motherfucking inside out!_" Larvesta tensed slightly to prepare for a Giga Drain, but Pikachu's experienced eyes caught him.

"_Ah ah ah._" Pikachu said, sending a very painful and disorienting shock through his tail. In spite of the Calm Mind boosts, having it go right into his flesh was a whole new kind of pain for Larvesta. "_Now, the full dose!_" Pikachu cried out.

"_Aw heeeeelllll no._" Larvesta muttered, as Pikachu discharged one of the most comprehensive lessons in pain and good manners ever witnessed. The Pokeball Ash threw hardly had to do anything.

And so, Ol' Sunny, a force that had terrorized and annoyed a city for months, was caught by none other than a teenaged boy and his electrical mouse.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch 6: Tater Salad Penguin Dictatorship**

**The title is completely irrelevant.**

**Also, this is where I would put a copy of Pokemon X/Y…**  
**IF I HAD ONE!**

"Well, you got your wish. You got your wish, and you got your ass fried by a motherfucking goody two-shoes rat." Larvesta thought furiously. He had never thought it'd end like this. He thought he'd have some valiant battle against a giant Gyarados or Gigalith, only to fall heroically and use the last of his energy to fend off Pokeballs before finally succumbing to capture. BUT NO. He got his ass handed to him by some squirt who he accidentally offended. And he didn't give a shit what anyone said, Pokeballs are damn near impossible to deal with when you have to focus all your energy just on fucking breathing.

So, first order of business: Size all these motherfuckers up, see what he's fucking working with here...We got this lame ass blind baby, we got some weak ass lizard salad, we got this fucking otter with a head that looks like mochi or dango... Damn, he was getting hungry just looking at him...And then we have that motherfucking rat. The rat that probably whored himself out to Zekrom in exchange for all that goddamn electricity. Apparently, his trainer is some weenie ass teenager with a lame hat... Wait, that's exactly what Black is like. Huh. But goddamn, the Pokemon are nowhere near as cool. These bitches could easily get their asses handed to them. Besides that fucking rat, but Larvesta decided to just not think about him. He wasn't real. Bitch is probably a Mew. Fuck him. No way, motherfucker. No way.

Once Mr. Improbable Competence and Ms. Dumbass Dumb Hat were done healing him, Larvesta decided he might as well talk to the others. Maybe it's their personalities that shine through. Maybe they only look dumb as fuck.

Ahahaha, nope.

The Snivy kid seemed to be obviously scared shitless of him, and covered it up with some paper thin toughness bullshit. The Oshawott kid was at least polite, but more than a little naive and not quite the sharpest guy ever. Deino was apparently completely unafraid of him, and instead opted to tell him he smelled nice before burying her face in his fur. Larvesta had an incredible urge to cuss her out, but the Zekrom whore started sparking his cheeks. He decided it'd be much more sane to play things safe.

* * *

"I can't believe you caught him! Excellent work! You could easily face the Gym, if you did something they couldn't so easily!" Bianca said excitedly.

"Yeah, but I've been thinking that Pikachu should be a last resort. I want everyone else to have lots of experiences of their own and catch up some more, and that's harder to do if chances are that Pikachu will win."

"Oh, I get what you mean. You don't want to be like those trainers who power through everything with only their starter. But don't worry too much! It looks like you already know exactly what you're doing, so you should have the flexibility to use any sort of Pokemon well." Bianca encouraged

"Yeah, it's pretty funny. Usually something bad happens to me when I first get to a new region, or somehow the freshness of it all makes me lose focus." Ash said sheepishly. He sighed in relief as the conversation made him realize that he hadn't seen even a single hint of Team Rocket. They were hardly even enemies to him anymore. More like friends. Extremely annoying, awful friends who can't take a hint.

They all made their way back to the city, and Ash and Bianca said their goodbyes before Ash decided that it was as good a time as any to face the gym. He made a quick visit to the Pokemon Center, gave a few words of encouragement to his team, and informed them that Pikachu and Larvesta wouldn't participate this time around. Larvesta seemed personally offended and promptly stopped listening once Ash brought that up, even when the others tried to convince him that he should feel honored because his strength was recognized.

Ash walked into the gym calmly enough, even if he was kinda hungry and it smelled delicious inside, but as he approached the Gym Leaders he could see them immediately tense up and look down towards Larvesta. Chili seemed to have it worst of all, and he ran to meet Ash halfway.

"YOU! WHY IS HE NEXT TO YOU?" Chili shouted in disbelief. With the way Chili said 'he', Ash was easily able to deduce who 'he' referred to.

"...Because I caught him." Ash replied simply. All three brothers widened their eyes at once.

"HOW? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Chili screamed.

"I just had Pikachu help me. We've been traveling for a pretty long time, so he's stronger than he looks."

"NO TYPE ADVANTAGE?!" Ash shook his head. "SPECIAL POKEBALL?" Ash shook his head again, smirking slightly as he did so. "BRO. DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW AWESOME YOU ARE?!" Ash smiled wide and blushed ever so slightly.

"Oh jeez, here it comes." Cress murmured to Cilan, who simply nodded in amused agreement.

Of course, 'it' turned out to be Chili giving Ash a bear hug that felt twice as strong as Chili looked. Ash blushed a little bit more, but it was mostly just embarrassment... Okay, maybe it had something to do with the warmth too, and the subtle aroma of coffee and spices and delicious food that made it feel so comforting and welcoming. But other than that, there was nothing to blush about.

Once Chili let him go, Ash began to speak. "I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and I came here for a battle! But I won't use Larvesta or Pikachu, since I just got the others and I want to give them a fair chance."

"Someone's confident…" Cress said, smirking. "I like that. And it seems like Chili _really_ likes that."

"What's that supposed to mean?! This guy caught the damn Larvesta, he deserved a damn hug!" Chili snapped. Of course, Ash just smiled sheepishly and innocently.

"We'll let you battle him. All alone, just the two of you~ Oh, what saucy misadventures will those two spicy youths cook up..." Cress teased in a romantic voice, while Cilan burst out laughing next to him.

"It's not like that!" Chili scowled, although there was more than a bit of a whiny edge to his voice as well. "You guys are such children, I swear! Our whole gimmick besides the restaurant thing is supposed to be how well we get along, are you stupid?!" Ash broke out in a blush and turned away in embarrassment as he finally realized just what kind of jokes Cress was cracking.

"S-so, the battle!" Ash hastily threw in, causing all three brothers to simultaneously clear their throats and suddenly change their expressions to dead seriousness.

"This will be a three on three battle, no time limit! The challenger may freely switch Pokemon as needed!" Cilan called out, he had somehow managed to reach the designated referee spot in record time. "You may begin!"

"_Accepted just like that, huh?_" Ash deadpanned in his head, they must have wanted to make up for being unprofessional or something. But Ash quickly realized it wasn't the time to dwell on the finer working of how proper battles should be initiated. After running to the challenger spot, he announced his first battle decision. "Go, Oshawott!" Ash commanded. Oshawott eagerly complied, dashing out in front of Ash with a confident air.

"Pansear!" Chili called out, as he threw it's Pokeball to the ground. The Pansear looked smugly at Oshawott, as if to say '_Oh, a water type. Scary.'_ Of course, Oshawott understood the implication, and he seemed rather offended.

"Oshawott, Water Gun!" Ash commanded, and Oshawott happily obliged. However, Chili just nodded expectantly. Without even being told, Pansear deftly leapt out of the way.

"Yawn!" Chili cried out, and Pansear immediately opened it's mouth wide and performed one of the sleepiest and most infectious yawns in Ash's recent memory. Oshawott immediately followed suit, and his body became relaxed as he began to slouch and droop his eyes.

"Hmm…" Ash said to himself with mild disappointment, knowing full well what was about to happen. He turned to Deino expectantly. "Deino, if Oshawott goes to sleep, he's done for. So could you please…" Deino lowered her head for a moment in thought, then gave a determined cry and ran onto the arena, as Oshawott gratefully ran back and collapsed next to Ash's feet, in what was more like a brief coma than sleep.

"Pansear, use Return!" Chili cried out, causing Pansage to sneer and become engulfed in a white aura before rushing forward with incredible speed to ruthlessly slash, punch, and kick at Deino.

With that speed and power, there was no hope of getting away… However...

"Deino, Bite!" Ash called out. Unfortunately for Pansear, it was too caught up in it's offense to prevent Deino's jaws from locking down on it's arm. Pansear cried out in excruciating pain as Deino flung it about like a ragdoll, slamming it into the floor and shaking the poor primate senseless. Once Deino was done, she threw Pansear at least a couple of meters, and that was the end of that. Larvesta's eyes brimmed with proud bloodlust, while Ash's other three Pokemon shrank back a bit. Seeming to realize the gravity of her success, Deino gave a screech of victory and did a small, clumsy dance.

"Go, Darumaka!" Chili yelled as he returned Pansear and sent out the round, hyperactive Darumaka. "Work Up, then Brick Break!" Darumaka tensed up and became coated in an orange aura before flinging itself forward with surprising speed, using the momentum of a horizontal leap to begin rapidly rolling. Before Deino could react, a stubby but very powerful fist coated in pastel orange light had connected with her upper jaw with such force that she involuntarily backflipped. Deino sloppily hit the floor, practically already out cold, and was returned to her ball with a quick, warmhearted compliment from Ash.

"Oshawott, you're gonna need to wake up!" Ash said, repeatedly tapping the small otter with his foot. Just before the action veered into the territory of humorous hopelessness, Oshawott let out an almighty yawn and rose to his feet. However, Chili and Darumaka had no time for drowsiness, and Darumaka quickly rushed forward with another Brick Break. In response, Oshawott simply flopped onto the floor, still dead tired. Ash gasped, Pikachu facepalmed, and everyone else did their best to not pee themselves laughing. However, because Darumaka was already rolling forward to deliver it's Brick Break, it didn't actually plan on Oshawott just… laying down. Now that his target was suddenly much shorter, Darumaka was so surprised it only had time to literally roll right over Oshawott. But since a Darumaka is by no means the lightest or least dense Pokemon, all this resulted in was a wide awake and very angry Oshawott. Without even being ordered, he whipped around and fired a powerful Water Gun at Darumaka, pushing it far behind Ash. Just when Darumaka was about to get up, Oshawott angrily screamed at it and did it again, and this time Darumaka was down for good.

"Well damn." Chili said with mild shock, as he returned Darumaka. "Angry much?" he asked, before quickly shutting up as Oshawott gave him an exceptionally evil glare. "Right, right! Go, Growlithe!" Chili called out, and in an instant the fiery dog was eagerly awaiting commands. "Wild Charge!" Growlithe immediately began to sprint towards Oshawott, it's entire body cloaked in electricity.

"Dodge!" Ash quickly threw in, and Oshawott managed to slip out of the way in the nick of time. Ash had already noted that the Growlithe seemed fast enough to avoid or somehow counter a normal attack, just like Pansear did. However, Ash hadn't spent years traveling for nothing. "Throw it off with a quick Water Gun!" Oshawott spat a modest but very speedy jet of water at Growlithe, which it couldn't quite dodge quickly enough. "Now, for real!" Ash said with a triumphant air, as the wet and distracted Growlithe was now a sitting duck for the followup attack, which slammed into it's side full force. The small dog unceremoniously flopped onto it's side into the puddle beneath it with a small, wet plop, now unconscious.

"We did it!" Ash cheered, picking up Oshawott and twirling him around. Once Ash put him down he made it a point to stick his tongue out at Snivy, who responded with a whip to the face. Oshawott was about to throw his scalchop, but Snivy smugly pointed out that he risked hitting Ash. But of course, Oshawott was so confident and excited from defeating two Pokemon in a row, he did it anyway, and actually managed to hit Snivy square in the nose. Snivy plummeted to the floor and immediately sprang up to attack Oshawott, forgetting his composure in a fit of childish anger.

Fortunately, they obviously didn't intend to actually hurt one another, and the entire slightly embarrassing affair was over within a minute. Snivy seemed to realize that he had just done something embarrassing with a start and decided to save as much grace as possible by abruptly but expertly using his vines to fling himself back onto Ash's shoulder.

"Well done, you guys! Here, you deserve this!" Chili said, flinging the Trio badge towards Ash.

Except Ash didn't manage to catch it. Neither did Snivy when he attempted to cooly reach up and grab it with a vine in order to boost his self-image back up to a respectable level. Instead, Larvesta caught it with a weak Psychic, chuckling as it slowly twirled about in midair. Snivy was less than amused, but he wouldn't dare so much as breath the wrong way when it came to a hellish, short-tempered, quite possibly hungry bug with a massive type advantage.

"Thanks, Larvesta!" Ash said, trying to ignore his embarrassment as he reached to grab the badge... Except Larvesta jerked it out of the way at the last second. Ash frowned and ignored the heat in his cheeks and the amused giggling of the Gym Leader triplets as he unsuccessfully grabbed for it several more times, swearing under his breath and chiding Larvesta throughout. But Pikachu brought a stop to it with a quick jolt of electricity once he grew tired of the admittedly hilarious spectacle. "W-well, I just caught him..." Ash said indignantly, muttering under his breath as he put the badge in his badge case.

"You're so cute when you can't handle your Pokemon." Chili said teasingly.

"What." Ash replied flatly, without emotion one way or the other. He did hear him, so it was more of a statement than a question.

"Huh?" Chili said quickly, suddenly standing at attention as if he had honestly been daydreaming and he didn't know exactly what Ash was talking about. His two brothers simply snickered.

"Well, anyway, thanks for the battle!" Ash said with enthusiasm. "I'll be going now."

"Maybe you can come back sometime! We'd all enjoy that, I'm sure." Cilan said curtly. However, the way his eyes darted to Chili implied something else entirely.

"Especially Chili." Cress said as he walked up beside Chili, preferring to be a bit less subtle. Chili swiftly elbowed him in the side.

"Yeah yeah, come back if you want..." Chili said in an aloof manner, before he suddenly turned to Ash with a regretful look and continued. "I-I mean...we would be happy if you did...but it's not like you reaallly have to or we reeeallly want you to...I mean! It's not like we don't really want you to! But like, it's not like we really really want you to, like it's not excessive or-"

"I get it." Ash said quickly, blushing a bit.

"Splendid!" Cilan said, gracefully bowing as if he were some perfect saint. "Goodbye, Mr. Ketchum!"

"Good luck!" Cress said, covertly slapping Chili's back.

"Uh, yeah, be safe!" Chili said, befote shooting Cress a dirty look. As Ash walked out the door, Chili groaned deeply and turned to his brothers.

"I fucking hate you guys sometimes!" Chili whined.

"Not our fault you got no game~" Cress said, as sassy as he could muster.

"Shut up!" Chili cried.

"It's okay, Chili." Cilan said softly and politely, before breaking out in a wide grin. "If you like virginity that much, just say so."

"I WILL END YOU TWO I FUCKING SWEAR."

Meanwhile, Ash was back to the usual. Namely, training and traveling. Just as he was about to leave town, he had an interesting thought.

"Wow, we're already up to five, huh?" Ash thought out loud, as he looked at each of his Pokemon. "Only one more spot..." Ash continued, thinking about who could possibly end up filling that spot, until he stumbled upon an idea. It was a bit odd, but it was an idea nonetheless

"_People doubt me because I keep losing and I make stupid mistakes...Not that losing is the end of the world, or that power is the most important thing...But what's the real point of catching as many Pokemon as I can if I'm not getting them to their true potential or cherishing them as much as I should? They have feelings too, so why would they want a Trainer that releases them or has them wait around somewhere else on only a moment's notice? ...Even if you do include their feelings, who says they aren't just being polite?_" Ash thought with mild disappointment and a bit of panic. He wasn't exactly sure if he was just projecting his own feelings onto Pokemon or if he really did have a point, but it was still a little scary. Hell, for all he knew some of his Pokemon probably would like an occasional vacation from him and his wacky antics, or perhaps they secretly resented being pushed to the side for so long. If you really wanted a Pokemon enough to capture it, then why put it on the sidelines whenever it's simply convenient for you? The sudden mountain of unfortunate implications was staggering, but Ash remembered that he did have someone who could give a trustworthy second opinion.

"Uh, Pikachu.." Ash started, as Pikachu's ears quickly stood straight up. "...Do you think it's inconsiderate of people to catch too many Pokemon? ...Does it hurt their feelings when they can't come with you anymore, or would they ever feel forgotten if you left them alone for too long?"

Pikachu's eyes widened a bit at the question, it wasn't often that Ash got so deep about things. Quicky, perhaps a little too quickly, he gave an answer. "_Of course not! We're happy if you're happy, that's what I'd say._"

_"That's a pile of fresh sh...sh...DUNG, and you know it, you softhearted fool!"_ Larvesta quickly yelled up at Pikachu, his horns emitting small puffs of flame as he did so. Oh, how he wanted to actually swear.

"He didn't sound like he agreed with you, Pikachu…" Ash said with mild confusion.

_"Well, that's his opin-"_ Pikachu started.

_"It'd be quite frustrating, honestly. What kind of self absorbed idiot is gonna choose me and make me feel special and desirable, then hardly ever have time for me? Hmph."_ Snivy butted in with an annoyed tone.

_"Snivy!_" Pikachu growled _"Don't, you're being-"_

_"I...Papa...Papa will replace me? Why?! What did I do wrong?! I fought the battle, even though I was scared, just like Papa wanted! I love you, Papa Ash! I'm sorry I lost! Please don't leave me behind anymore!_" Deino wailed, as she began to cry. Oshawott quickly scampered over to comfort her, while Larvesta gave a small grunt of annoyed disgust and moved farther away.

_"No, Deino, it's okay, that's not what it really means, it's just that...You know, it's just kind of a thing that...uh…"_ Pikachu's explanation quickly fell apart as he sensed Ash's eyes boring into the back of his head.

"Pikachu...that's exactly what I was worried about!" Ash cried forcefully. "Don't lie just to protect my feelings! Why didn't you tell me before?!"

_"I...uh, well, you're our Trainer and all...it isn't really correct of me to try being a 'backseat Trainer'..."_

"So you're just going to sit there and watch me disappoint my friends without me even knowing?!" Ash shouted. A few people glanced over at him, since he forgot he was still in town, but he was too engrossed to care.

_"It's for the best...we're here for you...we want you to be here for us too, Ash, but you're more important at the end of the day…"_

"Why in the world would you say anything like that?! Be like how you used to be! Ignore me when I'm being stupid! Zap me when I make mistakes! Get angry at me! What the hell do you think you owe me?"

_"We'll all have our chances, Ash, we accept the risk from the start…"_

"Accept? Why the hell accept it if I could've been doing more about it?!" Pikachu shrank back a bit, his head now swimming with different ideas. Had he really been wrong this whole time? Had he really forgotten the true importance of matters like this? Sure, he had a will of his own, but there was a certain point, back so far he couldn't even remember, when Ash's authority took on a gravity he couldn't even comprehend, when his life became most valuable, and Pikachu became complacent in the knowledge that he'd always be able to be by Ash's side.

For years now, Pikachu had accepted that all in stride, even been rather proud of it, acknowledging himself as a Pokemon who loved his Trainer above all else.

But what good was that really doing anyone? They'd been on the journeys of perhaps even multiple lifetimes, where he and Ash had always aimed to help others, and always aimed to do as well as possible, while always working as equals.

So why had he become someone who'd simply learned to turn a blind eye to a flaw that was never truly obligated to exist?

_"...I was wrong…. Humans are still free to be Trainers… but I was wrong to not at least tell you how we felt up front. I'm sorry, Ash."_

"I'm sorry too.." Ash said with a sigh. "I should've been calmer about it. You were just trying to do what you believed in."

_"So what now?"_ Pikachu asked somewhat uneasily.

"I'll head to the Pokemon Center, I've got some important questions for Professor Oak." Ash said with a serious yet somewhat troubled expression. He was aware that at this point he couldn't just give up being a Trainer, that would just be rash and horribly conflicting with his new perspective on how Pokemon feel. However, he could at least make an effort to change how he went about being a Trainer.

Ash's conversation with Professor Oak went over many of the same details, but Ash was slightly surprised to discover that the Professor had actually held and supported his newfound view for a long time, but as long as nothing abusive was occurring, he felt he didn't have the right to impose narrow mindsets and people should reach their own conclusions without being forced. Ash was a little annoyed by Oak's hands-off approach to the issue, but he understood where Oak was coming from. With further discussion, and the acknowledgement that Ash was experienced enough to handle the extra responsibility (and some slightly embarrassing begging, haggling, and arguing) Oak allowed him to begin carrying up to nine Pokemon.

Gleefully, Ash chose to dedicate his extra slots to old team members… Not for the purpose of obscene strength or raw power, but teammates who could mentor and/or get along well with his newer Pokemon, and who he felt he should spend more time with. Therefore, his choices were Buizel, Sceptile, Gible, and Heracross. Honestly, he had strongly considered Bulbasaur, but since Heracross was chosen too and Bulbasaur's maturity was a valuable asset in Oak's lab, he decided against it. Sceptile would be better for teaching Snivy a speed-oriented battle style anyway. Ash felt he left Gible a bit too soon, and he would also be a good friend for Deino. Heracross could...possibly...get along well with Larvesta. If not, her impressive strength would undoubtedly come in handy, and be useful for teaching Deino.

With his expanded team in tow, Ash felt quite confident about the rest of his journey through Unova.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch 7: Moo; Title Written by a Passing Cow.**

While Ash was taking care of things in Striaton, Gary and Trip had managed to get there as well. They were both so timely about it, they actually happened to run into each other. Quite literally, as in actually bumping bodies against each other. In fact, you could even say that Trip ran into Gary because he couldn't ignore Gary's girth… (I'm almost sorry…)

"Sorry, sorry." Gary said, looking down at Trip as he stood in the entrance to the local Pokemart, which Trip had been trying to enter just as Gary was trying to exit.

"Pfft. It's fine. Whatever." Trip grumbled, not even looking up at Gary.

"...Is something wrong?" Gary said with mild hesitation, partially concerned and partially feeling the kid was just rude and not worth his time. Heroics and inflated morals didn't pulse through his veins like they did for Ash, so he wasn't sure he wanted to tie himself up in someone else's problems. He suspected that was part of why he always used to be ahead of Ash, besides the cool car and the cheerleaders that he wasn't even entirely sure how he got in the first place. Why the hell did he want them anyway? He was fucking ten, why didn't Gramps stop him? Looking back on his earlier traveling days in general was all weird and hazy, like it was all straight from some animated children's series

But that would _obviously_ be ridiculous.

"No!" Trip seemed briefly surprised by his own snappiness, before he took a deep breath and continued. "No, it's not you, it's just...I haven't been at my best lately. I'm kinda on edge, I guess..." Trip said in a glum, trailing sort of way, as if it were all one long sigh.

"Tell me about it." Gary replied sympathetically as he moved out of the doorway to stand beside Trip instead, realizing there would be others who would want to get by. It was half a statement of agreement, half because he actually sort of wanted to be told. A bit of extended social interaction with someone besides a Pokémon would be nice, he supposed.

A bit bluntly and tactlessly, Trip skipped all pleasantries and went right to what was on his mind. Gary was a bit surprised that he didn't go through all the usual "oh no I couldn't burden you" or "everything's fine" nonsense, but he understood that this was probably something Trip had held in for a while.

"Well, I'm just...not...not good enough, I guess. I read up on things, I studied a lot, I practiced with borrowed Pokémon before I even became a Trainer… And I guess I maybe kinda made things hard on myself, being so proud of myself and putting the bar so high…"

"Let me guess, you're a new Trainer, and someone unexpectedly beat the shit out of you in a battle." Gary said with hardly any thought. He could just tell by looking at him! So _now_ was the part where he was going to try and lessen the weight of his issues.

"...Yeah...I didn't even hurt his Pokémon. It was too fast. And strong like you wouldn't believe…" Trip grumbled with renewed disappointment, looking down at the ground and putting his hands in his pockets.

"So what was that Pokémon?" Gary said with a smirk, fully expecting a lame answer.

Trip caught the expectant teasing in Gary's voice and looked around for a bit before quietly answering with a slight blush. "A Pikachu…Man, I thought Kanto Pokémon were supposed to be lame."

"You know, I'm from Kanto." Gary said with a warning tone.

"..Oh…" Trip's eyes widened a bit, an unpleasant memory flashing before them. "Wow, uh, sorry…" Trip muttered.

"Whatever, I know I'm not much to look at. What was the Trainer like? Black hair, brown eyes, with the Pikachu on his shoulder, by any chance?" Gary asked, knowing there could only be a few people who can kick major ass with just a Pikachu.

"Yeah! You know him?" Trip gasped.

"Yeah, and I have to say I'm even less surprised now. There's no way you'd be good enough to beat him right now. Unless some weird dumb bullshit happened, like his Pikachu losing his electricity."

"...He didn't even use any electric type attacks." Trip moaned.

"Oh man, you got your shit _wrecked,_ kid. He didn't even need the Pikachu, he could've just punched your Pokémon out by hand!" Gary whooped, as he put his hand up to his mouth to hold back the urge to laugh.

"W-whatever, fatso! I bet you'd never beat him either!" Trip cried, as his defensive ego swelled back up and his emotions momentarily slipped just a bit out of his reach.

"I actually have a few times, honestly. I've known him since forever, and he honestly wasn't always so good… But to be fair, he's gotten a lot better recently, and I lost the last time I faced him. So yeah, you have lots of time to catch up. No big deal." Gary smoothly explained. In situations like this, it was actually more satisfying to be calm than be rude back.

"...Really?" Trip said in a somewhat hopeful tone, his lips turning upwards slightly. "_Big change once you stroke his ego._" Gary thought, knowing from experience. After all, the kid was a lot like him when he was younger. Except somehow just as pretentious while being less flashy, less charming, and less obviously advantaged.

"Oh,sure." Gary said, smiling widely. "A smart, responsible boy like you, willing to learn from his mistakes...You'll do just great."

"Oh, uh, yeah... What's your name, by the way? I'm Trip." Trip said eagerly, grinning widely. Gary was highly amused by how much the boy had brightened at the kindness of his words. Ah, the transparency of youth.

"My name is...Gary." Gary said with momentary hesitation. Lately, he had been feeling a bit ridiculous about his decision to try the region as 'someone else'. Ash defeated him and could only get better from here, it was a bunch of extra work to maintain, and honestly it was just really immature of him.

"Okay then. You seem like you know a thing or two, Gary. Help me out here, would you?" Trip brazenly asked, almost demanded. Gary nearly burst out laughing from how much of a train wreck it was.

"What?!" Trip spat defensively, not sure what Gary thought was so funny.

"Who even does that?!" Gary cried, as his laughter took on a raucous intensity.

"Does what?!" Trip shot back, genuinely confused.

"Have some common sense and say please to strangers!"

"Oh." Trip mumbled, blushing as he realized that he actually might have forgotten. "But I thought I di-" Trip started, attempting to save face.

"Nope." Gary interrupted with a confident smirk.

"Well...uh...sorry…" Trip said, his voice getting somewhat low as he said 'sorry'

"But hey, I'll help you anyway. You're like how I was, a regular kid Casanova with his whole future ahead of him..." Gary started.

"Yeah, right…" Trip said mockingly, obviously not buying any notion of how great Gary was when he was younger, but absolutely eating the compliments up.

"Just more ten times more obnoxious. And stubbier." Gary finished. He felt well within his rights as he watched the smug glimmer in Trip's eyes die out and become replaced with the fearful, erratic spark of a defensive little boy.

"That's not funny!" Trip spat, clenching his fists.

"Do you want me to help you or not, Stubby?" Gary said with an impatient air.

"Hell no! You're probably a pervert anyway." Trip said indignantly.

"Oh dearest me, you're right!" Gary said with mock horror. "I forgot to bring the sleep powder! And my license is suspended, so I couldn't bring my white van with the tinted glass and the drugged candy!"

"You think you're sooo clever, don't you?" Trip dryly quipped.

"Hell no. 'Candy in my van' is the dumbest, oldest trick there is. Duh~"

Trip was about to say something else, but his emotions betrayed him, and he ended up having to stifle a giggle instead. It wasn't much, but Gary noticed.

"Oh?" Gary started, smiling widely.

"What?!" Trip snarled.

"You think I'm funny, huh?"

"N-no I don't! That was a cough!"

"You laughed."

"I coughed!"

"You laauuughed." Gary dragged it out, reveling in the small victory.

"Whatever! A jerk can be funny, so what?"

"You know what else a jerk can do? Teach your stubby ass how to stop embarrassing yourself." Gary said, with such a confident and final air that Trip couldn't help but give in.

Trip quickly snapped a picture of Gary (who was entirely unprepared), then spoke with an entirely serious tone. "You are a worthy challenge."

"Can't you even accept someone's help-_which you asked for in the first place_-like a normal person?" Gary said in a low, exasperated tone, looking at Trip with an incredulous expression. What the hell had he just gotten himself into?

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash was just leaving Striaton, and catching up with everyone he had reintroduced to his roster. "_Hopefully I won't get too many people saying I'm cheating._" Ash mused to himself, since at the end of the day he could still only legally use six in any one battle anyway, so it seemed fair.

Everyone had become acquainted, with mixed results. Oshawott was eager to work with Buizel, who felt that anything was better than sharing his typing with Dawn's Piplup (yeah, he's got spunk, but he sure knows how to wear on someone), while Sceptile was perfectly hospitable if a bit reserved, but unintentionally intimidated Snivy anyway. ("_Oh no, he's TOO COOL_" was about Snivy's mental reaction.)

Deino and Gible quickly became best friends when they realized that they both considered biting affectionate instead of annoying, and they were excitedly blathering on without end about food...and things that hardly anyone else would actually consider food.

"_So like, how come we're back all the sudden?_" Heracross asked to no one in particular.

"_Ash got all whiny and butthurt all the sudden because he feels like he's offending us. Joy. More of you to deal with._" Larvesta deadpanned.

"_It's nice of him, I have to say. As long as we all get fed, this is pretty great!...But what kind of Bug-type are you, again? Never seen anything like you before._" Heracross asked curiously, while poking at Larvesta with a single claw.

"_I'm the kind that's gonna be slurping your intestines from your crushed exoskeleton if you keep poking me, woman._" Larvesta snarled.

"_Well!_" Heracross said in disbelief, looking taken aback but a bit underwhelmed. "_Aren't you a little ball of-_"

"_YEAH, SUNSHINE, HAHAHA, BECAUSE THAT'S SO CLEVER. BECAUSE I REPRESENT THE SUN, AND I'M A GRUMPY FIRE TYPE. WOW. WHAT A FRICKIN RIOT. NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE._" Pikachu glared disapprovingly at Larvesta, but ultimately decided to let it go.

"_...Yeeeeeaaah…_" Heracross said regretfully, before quickly turning away and becoming cheerful once more. "_What's up, Pikachu?!_"

"_Nothing much. Have you been doing well? How's Bulbasaur?_" Pikachu asked, preferring to actually approach conversation like he had common sense.

"_I'm fine, and Bulbasaur's sap is as delicious as ever!_"

"_Are you ever going to learn?_" Pikachu said with mild exasperation.

"_I could, but then I wouldn't get any sap! Don't you know it's a crime to deprive a Heracross of sap?_"

"_Sure it is._" Pikachu said with a disbelieving but somewhat amused tone.

"_What if his bulb was full of ketchup? What would YOU do?_"

"_I...well…_" Pikachu swallowed hard. Bulbasaur was an excellent friend, surely he wouldn't mind being politely asked for just a few licks of that delightful red ambrosia...Wait, no, this was exactly what Heracross wanted him to think! "_It's not fair to compare ketchup to sap!_" Pikachu argued meekly.

"_Them's fightin' words._" Heracross growled playfully, before both she and Pikachu burst out in laughter.

It was a little more worrying to keep track of an unusual number of Pokémon, but since everyone at least had common sense, there wasn't much to worry about as the group steadily made their way to Nacrene City while training and socializing. Snivy and Oshawott learned quickly, seeming to have a minor rivalry with each other. Oshawott had trouble with Aqua Jet at first, but Buizel's sharp eyes allowed him to realize that Oshawott simply wasn't opening his eyes. (Oh, how Snivy laughed at him for that one.) Meanwhile, Snivy was having trouble believing just how fast Sceptile was. Snivy would be trying to do one thing, but Sceptile would already be getting ahead of him without even trying.

Deino seemed to be quite naturally talented now that she had more comfort and experience, motivated by the desire to please Ash and lingering paranoia of being abandoned or forgotten about. Gible wasn't exactly the best at teaching, but Deino was able to learn Take Down, Dragon Pulse, and Rock Smash through Gible's slightly awkward explanation and example. (His expression was priceless when he learned that Deino couldn't actually see what he was doing, so he had to verbally explain most of the process, using various sounds to emphasize his point)

Deino was dismayed that Gible couldn't learn any of her elemental fang attacks, to the point that with some unorthodox and honestly quite impressive innovation, she managed to crudely combine Dragon Pulse and Bite into a single move by coaxing the energy into coating her teeth. Within a couple of days, Ash had managed to get the technique just about perfect for both of them, and he praised Deino for being so clever. Even Larvesta complimented her, in a nonchalant and roundabout way.

Heracross was like something of a big sister to Deino and Gible (She objected to Deino's "Auntie Hera", because it made her sound old, even when Pikachu pointed out that aunts don't necessarily have to be old), since Larvesta was busy being such an ~exceedingly charming~ fellow to everyone. She and Pikachu taught them more about how to move and attack efficiently, more about the skill and endurance of battle rather than the pure power.

Although Larvesta was a very avid and excitable participant in training, he almost always refused the help of others, preferring to train on his own or throw in rude (and sometimes sort of helpful, but still rude) remarks while others trained. Although Ash was a bit annoyed by it, he remained patient. But with Pikachu having the misfortune of actually understanding every word he was saying (and not appreciating how often he forgot to watch his language), he got rather fed up with it. However, Pikachu ultimately didn't majorly act on it, apart from a few "gentle reminder" shocks from time to time. After all, Larvesta was noticeably a bit kinder than normal when Deino was involved. He would tolerate her physical affection and give her advice on her techniques, and he would try not to shout as much.

However, he acted aloof and rather mean-spirited with others. He had respect for Pikachu and Sceptile, but even then he didn't necessarily like them. There was an apparent if unspoken contempt in the way he held himself and spoke around Buizel, but no one really said anything about it in the open. (Although Buizel immediately decided that Larvesta was just a typist asshole because he happened to be a water type, which the more mature team members all believed on some level, as much as they didn't want it to be true.) He would never hesitate to say that he found Gible incredibly annoying and childish, and no one could quite agree on why he preferred Deino over Gible despite her doing things that he should've considered just as bad.

It all came to a head just a day before they expected to reach Nacrene, when Larvesta shouted at Gible simply for making terrible puns (although Heracross and Deino were actually laughing, while Pikachu plastered a smile on his face, and Oshawott didn't have the heart to tell Gible he wasn't funny, so he just complained to Snivy). It had already been a stressful day for everyone, since they'd done plenty of training, and that meant plenty of Larvesta's rude, abrasive ways.

"_I was just trying to have fun, Larvesta…I'm sorry..._" Gible said apologetically, as he seemed to shrink away from Larvesta.

"_Yeah, if your fun means you're gonna drive me nuts, then go right the fuck ahead!_" Larvesta bitterly fumed.

"_Hey, kid._" Sceptile began cooly, walking up to Larvesta with a somewhat impatient expression.

"_Who're you calling kid, with your big green ass?!_" Larvesta spat back aggressively, quickly turning away from Gible.

"_What's wrong with you, anyway? What do you have against us?_" Sceptile said firmly, not even truly angry.

"_You're all soft! The only ones who're worth jack are you and that rat, but even you two are infuriating! How do you even live with yourselves, being this annoying?!_"

"_Soft, eh? Would you like to see something a bit more exciting, then?_" Sceptile said, flexing his leaf blades and adjusting his stance into something more aggressive and serious..

"_Oh, so it looks like something exciting is gonna happen after all! I'll cook you alive!_" Larvesta cried, with flames spouting from his horns.

"What are you guys doing?!" Ash cried out in alarmed confusion, but his words went unnoticed by Larvesta and Sceptile.

"_Larvesta's been annoying mostly everyone for the past few days. I'd let them, honestly. It'll get something through that thick furry head of his._" Pikachu commented critically, in a weary tone.

"I…" Ash started. Maybe telling Pikachu to be more opinionated wasn't the best idea.

"_Sceptile is a smart guy. I think he knows what he's doing, since battle is the only thing Larvesta takes as seriously as himself, so just watch and make sure this doesn't escalate into a disaster._" Pikachu continued more calmly.

"Well, you'd know more about how they think than I do…" Ash said in a somewhat unsatisfied tone. He had a bad feeling about this.

"_Then come at me._" Sceptile calmly invited. Larvesta sneered, and then obliged with a Flame Charge. Whatever, his funeral.

Time seemed to go in slow motion for Larvesta as he began speeding towards Sceptile, only to see his eyes briefly glow purple and his muscles writhe and tense beneath his skin for a split second. Before Larvesta could react, Sceptile's tail had come up to meet him, and it ended up sending him flying several meters back from the direction he came with an impressive "thwack". Larvesta used a Calm Mind to quell his anger and then began a combination of String Shot and Psychic to attempt to slow Sceptile down, but Sceptile was having none of it. Deftly, he cut the telekinetically guided strings away as they closed in from every direction, then grabbed a bundle of them and yanked Larvesta forward, detaching him from the silk and causing him to fly off to the right, his body skipping across the ground a couple of times, painfully and ungracefully. Sceptile was there in front of him in only a moment, and the claws on his feet glowed deep purple. He brought a foot down hard onto Larvesta's side, effortlessly cutting through Larvesta's side and searing his flesh. ("_Night Slash through his foot!_" Larvesta thought in semi-impressed shock) Larvesta responded with a scream of pain and a burst of panicked fire, which managed to hit Sceptile in the chest and make him leap backwards… Except Sceptile then immediately made a high jump forwards, just as Larvesta was getting to his feet, and came down with a mighty Slam to the back

Larvesta assuaged his panic and steeled his will with a Calm Mind, then dug painfully into Sceptile's mind with a Psychic. He followed it up by brutally tackling him away with a Flame Charge. Sceptile let out a low growl in response to being hurt, but he then quickly used Bullet Seed on the ground, creating an impressive spray of dust and dirt. Using this as a cover, Sceptile then got behind Larvesta in a flash, smirking as Larvesta went wide-eyed and attempted to simultaneously attack and create distance with a U-Turn. But once again, Sceptile's sweeping tail caught him, causing him to sail at least a few meters away, and then Sceptile was down on top of him in a flash, his feet dug into the ground and his claws glowing harshly with the effects of Night Slash. Larvesta's greenish-yellow blood trickled down his sides and his eyes watered, as Sceptile did not merely rake or slash. Instead, each time, he thrust his claws into Larvesta's body with great force, crudely piercing flesh and digging them in deeply and unforgivingly, as if for dear life.

"Sceptile! Stop that right now!" Ash cried, holding up his Pokeball with a shaky arm. Sceptile looked at him reproachfully but also somewhat regretfully for a moment before the returning beam was fired, but he did not peacefully accept it. Sceptile blocked the beam with Larvesta's body, and then slammed him back into the ground, with a look that almost dared Ash to try again. Ash went dumb with shock and denial, and in that moment he felt he could hardly do anything.

"_What the fuck…_" Buizel murmured under his breath, mirroring the sentiments of just about everyone else present. Sure, he didn't like Larvesta, and he actually did think he needed to be taught a lesson, but that complete denial of Ash's authority was really...something else. He didn't even quite know how to feel about it. Gible covered Deino's eyes while they both stood fearfully behind Buizel, while Oshawott and Snivy acted much the same way behind Ash, although they were both watching with bile fascination instead. No one was able to understand why exactly this was happening, all they knew was confusion over not only the situation itself, but how unreasonably difficult they found it to actually react heroically or reasonably. It wasn't like someone just being somewhat rude or arguing, where you just groan and roll your eyes, then calmly go in to stop it. It was on an entirely different level altogether, and it filled your mind with horrified questions rather than sound courses of action.

Every once in a while, Sceptile would twist and adjust his claws with an almost sadistic disregard, only causing further agony for Larvesta, who writhed and screamed like none other. He alternated between a river of swears and garbled clicking and screeching noises, smoke and fire sputtering half-heartedly from his horns. Then, the screams died down, and in a low, quiet, desperate tone, he shakily whispered "_Please. I don't want to die. Not like this._", his eyes empty and distant, not looking at Sceptile at all, the question seeming to be directed to anyone but Sceptile. Sceptile noticed this, and his eyes widened, his mind filling with confusion. A Pokémon who openly speaks of bloodlust and predating others, reduced to this in the desperation of the moment? Surely, it must be a mind trick… But at the same time, there was something in his voice that seemed nigh impossible to simply pretend about. But finally, before he could decide how to progress, there was a more effective intervention.

Heracross and Pikachu finally summoned the courage to help Larvesta. Pikachu chose to quickly and rather harmlessly incapacitate Sceptile with a Thunder Wave, while Heracross pried him off of Larvesta. "_Enough! Sceptile, can't you see the pain he's in?!_" Pikachu cried.

"_Of course. I didn't want to do that, but it was done._" Sceptile replied coldly.

"_Why in the world would you do that?! You can't try to kill him just because you don't like him!_"

"_I didn't want to be a hero, nor did I want to kill him. This was a lesson. I betrayed the honor and trust of a friendly match and put my emotions into causing pain and suffering._". Sceptile shakily rose to his feet and turned to Larvesta before continuing in a contemptuous voice. "_Do you see now? Even when you try to make it all about you, everyone will still suffer. Every breath you breathe in spite is not only fruitless, but toxic!_"

"_Extreme, much?_" Heracross growled bitterly.

"_Of course. But were you really going to let him keep going on like that? He doesn't listen to conventional reasoning. He believes he's above that. He shrugs off Pikachu's electricity and foolishly attempts to get by with only minor changes. So...I brought him somewhat closer to earth, hopefully. And quite honestly, I don't like the idea of such a Pokémon having the notion he's better than me, or anyone for that matter._" Sceptile said with a weary sigh. "_You can move, can't you?_" he asked Larvesta, in a somewhat softer tone than before. Larvesta gave him a slow glance with wide, empty eyes, then made a vague noise of agreement. Ash came over and knelt by Larvesta's side to tend to his wounds with a vaguely troubled expression.

"I..I'm not mad, Sceptile..." Ash said quietly, as he prepared potions and bandages. He looked over to Sceptile with an expressionless face, before continuing on with surprising calm. "I'm sort of disappointed, but this was my fault, really...I should be the one there for all of you, guiding you, making sure you're safe, making sure you're happy...but I guess I messed that up. I still have so many things to figure out, and here I am, worrying for my sake instead of yours." Sceptile immediately objected to Ash's self-criticism and said that it was entirely his own decision, one for which he didn't expect to receive praise. Ash only understood the gist of it, but it was mildly satisfying to hear, even if he was absolutely brimming with self-doubt beneath the surface.

"_Okay, Oshawott, you gotta admit that was kinda cool…_" Snivy said somewhat dreamily, staring intently at Sceptile

"_Dude, what? That was insane! That guy is insane!_" Oshawott said incredulously.

"_But he got his point across, even if others didn't agree with him…Now there's a guy who doesn't mess around!_" Snivy said admiringly.

"_Am I seriously your friend?_" Oshawott cried in disbelief, wondering where in the world Snivy got some of his morals and ideas from. Must be television. Damn humans and their poisonous entertainment, which he totally never ever watched or enjoyed. Not that he actually understood what was so bad about TV. It just seemed like the right thing to blame, since Professor Juniper was always griping about it.

"_Unfortunately for me._" Snivy replied, laughing haughtily. In response, he got a faceful of ice cold water.

* * *

While those events were unfolding, Gary and Trip were both only a few hours behind Ash, now that various circumstances meant they were traveling together. Back when they met six days ago, and Gary helped Trip train, a rather unlikely sort of bond formed. Before Gary knew it, Trip had "just so happened" to catch up to him and find him even though he'd left town an hour before Trip. Gary, immediately unimpressed with the stupid game of "accidental meetings" he knew it'd end up snowballing into, just decided right then and there that they should travel together. Trip blew him off at first, attempting to keep playing the game that Gary had already seen through, but once Gary called him out, Trip gave in.

"Any good trainer needs company from time to time." Trip said matter-of-factly.

"So you were lonely?" Gary said blankly, still rather unimpressed.

"No! And I wasn't afraid of the dark either, so don't ask!"

"I didn't and I wasn't gonna. Awful suspicious of you to defend yourself pre-emptively."

"Shit." Trip said quickly, not even bothering to backpedal or deny it this time. Instead, he just flushed with minor embarrassment before speaking up.

"Well, what are you afraid of?!" Trip said indignantly.

"Obnoxious little brats mooching off of me for who knows how long because they can't resist me~" Gary said smoothly.

"I could leave right now. Get over yourself." Trip said, rolling his eyes.

"But you won't, will you?"

"I will!"

And so, he did actually leave, for all of fifteen minutes.

"I'm overcome with surprise." Gary deadpanned, as he saw the younger boy casually walking back towards him.

"You're just as obnoxious as you think I am, I just think you should know that." Trip said with mild disgust.

"So why are you still here?" Gary asked simply.

"...Why shouldn't I be?"

"Answer the damn question!" Gary groaned.

"...You... Understand, I guess…" Trip said, in a hesitant and vague fashion, while making some vague gestures towards Gary.

"Huh? Kid, I don't understand jack shit. I'm done with constantly trying to do that before I'm a shriveled old geezer, because last time I did all that happened was me getting all fat and unsatisfied. And I was actually probably about to do it again on this journey, but now I just feel stupid about it. So whatever. I know what I know. I'll learn what I can. That's all there is to it, or else I'll just get hung up on stuff that's nowhere near as serious as I think it is."

"See, that's what I'm talking about. You're sort of cool and wise about certain things, but at the same time you're just a big frustrating loser like mostly everyone else. It's a good balance, it'll challenge me without driving me entirely insane."

"What the hell is with the way you word things?!" Gary burst out in annoyance, wishing the kid could just give an opinion that wasn't weird or partially insulting.

"Take it or leave it." Trip said with a smirk.

"Like hell I'm taking any shit from you, Stubby."

And so, that's about how it went on for the next six days. Some would even ask Gary if Trip was his younger brother, and times like that made him wish his hair would grow out faster. He really wished he hadn't even been dumb enough to make it blond, Ash would've been fooled if he just combed it back and called himself Gray. Maybe. Who knows, Ash did sort of get smarter after all.

Gary caught a female Purrloin after two days of it following him, stealing his food, and then toying with Lotad for a bit before running away. (Trip thought it was a riot, much to Gary's chagrin.) She seemed to have a careful, finicky nature, and made up for a lack of physical strength with a high level of technical skill and precision. Her level of knowledge and her nicked right ear implied she had been around for quite a while. The capture was quite frustrating, until Gary ultimately used Espeon's typing to trick her into thinking it would be another easy getaway. Purrloin thought that all the way until she was both figuratively and literally seeing stars, once Gary figured out he could make Swift go faster and hit harder if Espeon used telekinesis to boost the stars.

Trip already had Tepig and Pidove, but he managed to get lucky and catch a Frillish that was apparently abandoned weeks earlier in a small pond that Ash had overlooked when he passed through the same area. Frillish was a very quiet sort, just wordlessly doing as Trip commanded most of the time, although (supposedly) he and Espeon had at least a few lengthy telekinetic conversations, which Espeon would usually explain later, since Gary could understand her reasonably well. When Trip questioned him about that, he explained that she spoke "a lot like her mother Umbreon", whom he'd known for years.

Of course, Gary soon wished he hadn't brought that up, because when Trip got confused Gary ended up comprehensively explaining that a Pokémon's verbal and physical language is just a guideline to give extra cohesion and impact to a far more subtle and complex empathic/telepathic language. The explanation went over how it allows Pokémon to pick up on a human's general emotions and intentions, which allows them to quickly learn and understand what a human wants even if they don't literally understand the meaning of the words themselves. Gary even explained that after a while, a human can begin to understand a specific Pokemon's speech pattern, or with more time and effort, almost any Pokémon. In exchange for Gary's efforts to explain, Trip just laughed and called him a nerd, since he didn't have the heart to admit he was impressed.

Gary didn't really even know how, but by the end of their first six days together, he hadn't strangled Trip. In fact, he'd even call the kid his friend. But only to himself, and definitely not to Trip's face. He was rude and annoyingly indirect and reserved much of the time, yes, but at the same time, Gary couldn't deny that he was pretty damn smart, and they at least always had something to talk (or argue) about. A lot of the time, that 'something to talk about' happened to be Ash, and Gary's stories about Ash. In retrospect, Gary supposed he really should've been more careful, or remembered that Trip was far from stupid, because before long, Gary began to see a mischievous, knowing, excited look in Trip's eyes. It was the look anyone gets when it suddenly dawns on them that you feel more than friendly about someone, and Gary knew it.

"So…how do you feel about Ash?" Trip said, grinning as he leaned in closer to Gary one night while they were having dinner.

"He's my friend, of course. Lots of history…" Gary answered as calmly as possible, knowing where this was probably going.

"Oh, okay, sure," Trip started, before his grin became wider and bolder. "Whatever you say, Gay-ry."

Gary could say nothing for quite a while, only stammer and blush stupidly, and that was the most prominent moment within their first six days together when he truly felt he wanted to strangle Trip. "It's not like that!"

"Oh, what was that? I didn't hear you, I was distracted by what a shitty liar you are!" Trip said, howling with laughter.

"Whatever, s-so I do like him!" Gary shouted, his face hot from more than just the heat of a campfire. "Everyone knows asking if you like someone is a shitty trap question anyways! Either you admit it or they think you're lying! So whatever! I do! Sue me!"

"But seriously though…" Trip started "...Why don't you try traveling with him, if you like him so much?"

"I-I can't just…" Gary stammered.

"Why not?"

"Because! I'm...that'd be so weird!"

"You mean scary, don't you?"

"S-shut up! Just shut up!"

"Whatever, Gay-ry."

"DON'T KEEP CALLING ME THAT YOU STUBBY PIECE OF SHIT!"

Trip simply laughed as he marveled at his discovery. One of the most powerful and annoying things you can possibly know about someone, now in his hands.

He so wasn't going to be responsible with this.


End file.
